The Prize
by DocHollidaysGal85
Summary: Each year Capricorns village holds a competition,the black jackets are competing for a prize: a woman. This woman's name is Kris,a young bank employee kidnapped by Cockerell & Flatnose.What happens when Basta wins the competition? Can Kris escape? RatedT
1. Kidnapped & The Competition

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters. I only own Kris and Allison.**_

_**(A/N: OK, so I have no idea if this story is as good as DimensionalTraveller's "Basta's Pride and Joy" (my fav Inkheart fanfiction) but hey, I tried. (Grumbles) I wish she hadn't left so she could have finished the spin off….But whatever, here's my attempt at a Basta romance. Hope you all like it. It may be a little while before I update.)**_

24 year old Kristiana 'Kris' MacHowlan wrapped her arms around her legs and stared at the closed door of the "cell" the two men dressed in black had thrown her into earlier. Her silk white blouse's right sleeve had torn near the shoulder, and a small rip was along the seam of her slack's left pant leg. The men had ripped her I.D. badge, which had been hanging from a bead cord around her neck, off before leaving. Now, she sat alone in the cell, alone and terrified. She shut her eyes and recalled her traumatizing morning….

_**8 Hours Earlier…**_

"Damn it!" Kris shouted when the Styrofoam cup of coffee began to tip over in the carrier. A few of the men and women she worked with turned and gave her a long stare; she glanced at them and set her face into the meanest scowl she could muster. They looked away as she pressed the cardboard carrier against the bank's wall, drew her knee upward and balanced the cardboard tray long enough to fix the cup. At seeing only a few drops of the dark brown boiling hot coffee had spilled, she calmed and took a deep breath. "Alright, girly, calm down," she muttered to herself.

Like most women in the bank, she was jumpy. Today was the 8th anniversary of the mysterious disappearances. Each year a woman working at the bank, her teenage daughter, or sometimes both would vanish into thin air, only to never be seen again. The bank manager, relatives of the missing person (or persons), and bank employees kept after the police; however, the law officials were just as baffled, and strangely seemed to not want to get involved with the disappearances. It was just as odd as it was unsettling.

"I'd like to open an account," a coarse voice rasped at Kris's best friend, Allison's, desk. Kris placed the carrier filled with five cups of coffee on her desk and grabbed a cup and put it onto Allison's coaster.

"Of course, sir," the young blonde smiled, "If you would just sit…."

Kris glanced over at the man just in time to see him studying her. His face was triangularly shaped with a triangular goatee in middle of his chin; he looked like the Italian version of a cartoon devil. Allison, however, had assured Kris this was a normal style to see in this village, it seemed men here were intent on being 'hip and stylish' and 'slightly' eccentric. Kris nodded to the man and glanced down at her desktop and happiness filled her heart….A plane ticket back to America stared up at her. The foreign banker exchange program had ended, for her at least. The program was started by the Laffite bank's president and CEO back in America to help employees learn firsthand about cultural diversity. Kris had been here now for two years and was more than ready to go home. She hoped her brother hadn't sold her house.

"Actually," the man smiled, "I think I'd rather open an account with _her_." He exclaimed as he sat down in front of Kris's desk, giving her a toothy grin that sent shivers up and down her spine. She noticed he began tapping his fingers on the wooden arm of his chair and glanced over towards a tall man whose nose looked as if it had been pressed into his face. "Miss?" The man questioned.

"Ah, yes, sorry," Kris replied with a small blush. "Welcome to Laffite bank, my name is Kristiana MacHowlan, but you can call me Kris if you'd like. How can I help you?"

"I'm thinking about starting an account…."

"Well, you've come to the right place," Kris smiled in fake happiness. The bank taught all its employees to act happy so new customers felt welcomed. She didn't want this guy to feel welcomed; she had a bad feeling about him. Something about this man made her stomach churn and her heart pound in fear. She stole a quick glance over at Allison, who was watching her and the goatee-man with an eagle eye. "Now, to start an account sir," Kris continued, "I'll need a name."

"Of course," the man purred, "My name is Mortimer Folchart…"

Three hours and half a lunch break later, Kris was walking back towards the bank wiping the remnants of the spaghetti off her lips. She was very proud of herself; she hadn't gotten any meat sauce on her navy blue jacket. Usually after having spaghetti her suit jacket had a stain in it. The moment she saw the sign for the bank, the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up; she reached to the back of her neck and scratched as if something had just bit her. She glanced behind her shoulder to see the goatee-man and the flat nose man following her.

"Shit," she hissed under her breath and slowly yet casually reached into her purse, the goatee-man had obviously noticed since he sped up his pace towards her. Kris took a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs, causing many people around her to jump and take notice. It was amazing how only a few hours earlier she hadn't wanted attention, now she needed and craved it for her own personal safety.

The two men behind her paused for a moment, allowing time for Kris to escape into a small comic book shop. Her gaze traveled the store, the teenage boy behind the counter looked up at her with a raised and pierced eyebrow.

"Woah…, Lady are you in trouble or something?" He questioned.

_No, I run like this every work day, it gets my adrenaline going, heart pounding, and calories burning….What do you think you ass? _ Kris pushed the sarcastic thought from her mind, "Ah…I'm on the run from an ex-boyfriend. He's a real nasty fellow, he has triangle shaped face, a goatee, almost like the devil you see in kids cartoons…"

"Oh that dude," The boy replied, "He's like….Right behind you."

Kris sucked in a shaky breath in terror and slowly turned and met the face of the beaming goatee-man. She knew his name was not Mortimer Folchart (that name sounded too good for him).

"Leave me alone," Kris threatened as she slowly backed away.

"If you come with me you'll be saving yourself and me a lot of trouble…." The man replied in his coarse voice.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Kris replied as she rapidly shook her head, from the corner of her eye she noticed the teen was pressing a button under the counter. _Silent alarm…The police will be here soon._ The man backed her into a metal shelf containing several statues and figurines of comic book heroes. She grabbed a clay Superman and smashed its head against the metal. _Sorry, Clark._

"Hey! You broke it you buy it!" The Goth teen shouted from the register. Kris ignored him and pointed her weapon at the man.

"Get the hell _away_ from me!"

The man smirked at her and stepped out of the way, Kris suddenly found her weapon knocked to the ground. The flat nosed giant stepped into her field of vision and reached for the back of her neck.

"No!" She threw a statue at him; the giant man didn't even flinch. Kris glanced over to the teen and silently begged him for help.

"He's not going to help you," the goatee-man rasped in a laugh, "He has no reason too. By remaining silent, he just made sure his dear old mommy gets to keep her house."

Kris took a deep breath and glared at the two men before her in anger and terror. She recalled her self defense classes, if all else failed…Faint. She made herself rock back and forth.

"Oy, Cockerell, there's something wrong with her!"

"It's an act!" The goatee-man, Cockerell, snapped.

Kris rolled her eyes to the top of her head and dropped to the floor in an exaggerated, but well acted, faint. The two men were skeptical at first, but after her hand was stepped on once and she gave no response (at least not one they'd notice) the giant reached to grab her. Kris's fingers curled around her dropped weapon and the moment the giant's hand grabbed the back of her shirt she pressed herself upwards and slashed his hand with the sharp tip of Superman's neck. The giant howled, Cockerell cursed, and Kris ran. She was almost out the door when the giant ripped her jacket off, causing the sleeve of her silk shirt to tear at the shoulder's seam. Kris swiped Superman's neck behind her in hopes of doing more damage; instead she was greeted by a sharp pain to the back of her head and colorful stars dancing in front of her eyes.

_**(End of Flashback)**_

And now, she was here, in her cell, alone and terrified. She wiped her cheeks with her dirty sleeve and looked up when the lock began to jingle and twist. Kris crab crawled backwards towards the wall of the cell and looked around for anything she could use for a weapon. Except for a tiny ray of sunlight coming from a hole near the floor, it was dark. Evening light instantly flooded into the cell revealing an orange, yellow, and light purple sunset behind Cockerell at the giant. The two men suddenly stepped aside and allowed five young women to walk in. Kris recognized each one as a girl or woman who had gone missing from in or around the bank.

"Oh my God…" She whispered. The cell door shut and a woman reached up and tugged the chain of a light bulb. Kris noticed one woman was carrying a white wedding gown, while another held a tiara made of pearls with a thick and long veil attached to it. "What…What is this?"

"The competition," one of the woman whispered with a frown. "I'm so sorry, miss….we went through the same thing and know how terrible and frightening this is….But we'll watch out over you, and you'll watch out over us. That's how we do things here; we have one another's back."

Basta was almost giddy with excitement; it was finally time for the summer's competition. He had spent hours practicing his fighting skills; he would not lose this year. Last year Antonio had won the prize, this year Basta would win it….Though other black jackets laughed at him since he had never won a single prize in the eight years of the competition in this world. This time he would win. The competition was a game started by the Adderhead in the Inkworld for Capricorn's men, who seemed very unlucky when it came to female companionship. Each year the Adderhead's men would kidnap an innocent young women and she would be placed in a wedding dress, whichever of Capricorn's men was left standing would win the bride. After unveiling her face, the winner could decide if he wanted her only for one night, an occasional visit, or forever.

Basta smirked as night fell and the torches in the field below the village were lit….It was time. He walked confidently down to the old soccer field and studied this year's competition and was pleasantly surprised to see Cockerell and Flatnose standing at the side of the ring. They had been the ones to pick and kidnap the prize this year, and since they knew what she looked like they had to sit out. Basta's gaze traveled upwards towards the platform where Capricorn sat straight in his throne. In a smaller throne beside him sat the prize. She was short, and wore a silk white wedding dress that started as a choker at her throat. Crocheted lace traveled down to the middle of her chest where the white fabric became a wall that blocked the best part of her torso from all men's view. Her skirt billowed out around the chair and caught the torch light, giving the dress and the prize a glow. The circular tiara made of pearls atop her head held the thick long veil in front of and behind her face. Her wrists and ankles were shackled together; the chain was locked around a rung in the platform. This prize must have been feisty; most women only had to be tied.

Excitement coursed through his veins as the fight began.

Kris could hear the grunts, screams, and groans of pain from below her. She fought to keep from crying, but was having little luck. From what the women who had dressed her and had combed and styled her hair had said she'd belong to a black jacket soon….and there was no way to escape. But the women didn't know that for sure, maybe she could try a different escape. For now, she'd have no luck for that idea since her wrists and ankles were chained to the wooden platform.

"Go ahead and tremble my dear," a soft and flat voice said from beside her, "It will only make my men fight harder to win you."

Had any of the women before her tried to reason with their captor?

"Please…Sir…Let me go, I swear I won't say a thing to anyone."

"Say a thing? My dear, it wouldn't matter if you wrote a book about this, no one would believe it."

"Why me?" She asked, she knew the question was rather…self pitying, but why her when not some other women? Didn't men in Italy like to stick with Italian women?

"Because you're an exotic beauty, unlike anything my men have ever seen before. You speak with a strange accent, your skin reminds them of Snow White, and your hair is as red as fire. We haven't seen anyone quite like you before in this world."

This world?

"Excuse me?" Kris asked; she had to be hearing things. She didn't believe in alien abductions.

"Nothing of any great importance you," the man replied, "Tell me where are you from?"

If this man wouldn't let her go, why respond?

"I highly suggest speaking, or I can have very, very cruel things happen," The man threatened. The reinforcement was the threat of something cold and slick was placed against her throat.

"Please get the knife off my throat," she whispered in terror.

"Then speak."

Kris carefully swallowed, "I'm from a state called Georgia, it's in America."

"I see, why are you in Italy?"

"For an exchange….To understand cultural diversity better. I chose to stay here for two years so my friends wouldn't have to come over…they're terrified of flying."

"I see," the man replied and the knife was removed from her throat. "Well, then I see a winner in the very near future."

Basta slashed his knife at the rather new henchman, a young man in his early twenties who was in trouble with the law for bank robbery. The raven haired man ducked away from the knife and sent a punch Basta's way. There was no way in hell he was making that mistake again; Basta lunged away from the punch and kicked the man in the groin. He watched the young black jacket double over in pain. Basta then took his chance to leap forward and knock the man out. He looked around the field, he was the last one standing, and he was the winner. Finally!

"Congratulations Basta," Capricorn announced, his voice indifferent, "You may come get your prize."

Excitement flittered through Basta's body like a million butterflies trying to escape a trap. He climbed the large steps of the platform and walked over to the bride. He took the long moment to glare at Cockerell, Flatnose, and several other black jackets who had sworn he'd never win. Cockerell shrugged, Flatnose picked his nose, and other black jackets grumbled jealously. Smirking at their unhappiness, Basta knelt down and slowly raised the heavy white veil and froze in astonishment, before him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Her skin was as pale and delicate as porcelain, her cheeks a rosy pink color; her eyes reminded him of a dark night, lit only by a few clusters of stars. Her lips were a pale pink color. Her red hair had been braided and coiled into a tight bun. He noticed her hands, encased in satin white gloves, were trembling.  
"Well….Hello," he smiled and watched as she glared at him. He reached forward to touch her shoulder and quickly drew back his hand when she bit him. "Ow!" He cradled his bit hand and stared at the woman who was now staring at him with hate, a snarl on her lips. He burst out laughing, "Well, well, I got a little wild cat!"

"Don't touch me, you bastard," The woman growled. "Let me go!"

"Or what?" Cockerell rasped from the other side of the chair.

"This," The woman warmed as she suddenly swung the loose foot of chain around Basta's neck and tugged. He gasped in shock and pain as he struggled to breathe. Who the hell was this woman?

Kris squeezed the chain around the winner's throat; no man would ever own her. She was not some item, not some sack of potatoes that could be sold or kept. She glared at the man beside her and jumped in fear, he had no color to him what so ever. He was as pale as milk, even his eyes were white.

"Oh my…." Kris started before the chain was suddenly ripped from her hand the short man collapsed before her. The giant unlocked her chains and held out a pair of handcuffs.

"NO!" She shrieked and began to try to escape, her ankles were still tightly shackled and when she attempted to run off the platform, the chain tightened and pulled her back causing her to fall flat on her face. Kris heard the men around her begin laughing; when the giant stepped towards her she kicked her feet at him. He simply snorted, jerked her up onto her feet and cuffed her wrists behind her back.

"Quit your strugglin'," he hissed in her ear, "You belong to Basta now. If you be really good maybe he won't consummate your relationship with him tonight."

Kris paled and suddenly the legends of the ghostly men who lived in the cursed and abandoned village flew through her mind. Allison had told her the story when Kris had first arrived in Italy. The story stated the men were cursed spirits who were forever doomed for their criminal acts in life including robbing, killing, and… raping.

"No…" Kris fought back the well of tears beginning to flood her eyes. The chain keeping her attached to the platform was suddenly removed and before she could regain her balance, Kris was shoved into Basta's arms. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist and he held her in such a tight grip her breathing was labored.

"What do you want to do with her Basta? Do you want her for a night? For a day? A month? Or forever?" The pale man questioned.

Kris was spun around to meet the foxy face of her so-called lover. His dark brown eyes were narrow and short brown hair framed the edges of his face. His nose was long and thin and ended with a sharp tip. His mouth, which was pulled into a tight smirk, which was no doubt meant to terrify her, sent fear shivering up and down her spine.

"Forever," the man rasped.

"Get the government official," the man exclaimed. "Tonight will be a celebration, for tonight is _finally_ Basta's wedding!" All around them men dressed in tight black suits cheered and began rushing towards a large cluster of picnic tables. Basta wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"You're mine now," his voice rasped like a cat's tongue, "I have waited so long for female companionship. So don't even think of trying to escape, because there's no way that's going to happen." He paused, "What's your name?" When she didn't answer quick enough for him, he shook her.

"Kristiana MacHowlan, everyone calls me Kris."

"Kris is a boy's name; it's Kristiana from now on," Basta rasped, "I'm Basta, your husband."

Kris looked away from him, away from the black suited men that reminded her of an army of crows, away from the man who was as pale as a ghost. She looked towards the long winding road at the edge of the field that was so close, yet so far away. One way or another, she would reach that road, she would escape. And when she did she'd come back with an army of mercenaries who would rescue the missing women and help arrest every man in this cursed village. When she looked back up it was to see Cockerell dragging out a tall and thin man, behind him followed the Goth boy from the Comic store. He held two golden bands in his hand. Kris's stomach fell to her feet, she had to find a way to escape and quick.


	2. Wedding & I Will Never Let Them Break Me

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart, or any of its characters; they all belong to Cornelia Funke. I own Kris.**_

Kris glared at her soon-to-be-"husband" with a look of hate as Flatnose stood behind her with his hands tightly wrapped around her shoulders. The black jackets had reassembled to the platform when they saw the government official being dragged out of the village by two burly black jackets. Fear traveled through Kris's veins like tiny microscopic snakes, when she attempted to wiggle out of the giant's grasp, Flatnose only held her shoulders tighter and Basta's one armed grip around her waist tightened. Although she didn't want too, Kris gave up her struggle for the moment and glanced behind her and saw the seven other women lined up in a straight line, their arms were looped through their husbands' arms.

When Kris attempted to make contact with the woman who had spoken to her back in the small cell, the woman looked down at the ground.

"D-D-D-early beloved…W-We gather here today," a sudden stammering voice started. Kris looked up to see the government official standing on the platform facing Basta and herself. The tall gangly man reminded her of Ichabod Crane with his thin limbs, narrow head, and long curving nose.

"If I wanted an idiot to marry us I would have asked for Darius," Basta exclaimed in a hissing laugh. The government official paled and began to shake worse; Kris was about to defend the poor when one of the women behind her caught her eye and shook her head. Obviously, the key to survival in this village was obedience and silence.

Ten minutes later, Kris found herself turned so she was facing Basta and clasping his hands, the official asked Basta if he would take Kris as his bride to be.

"I will take Kristiana as my bride to be, now and forever," he smiled. His strong peppermint breath made Kris's stomach churn; she swore she'd never eat another mint again.

"D-Do you…Kristiana…."

"MacHowlan," Kris said softly.

"Kristiana MacHowlan, take Basta as your husband to be?"

Kris paused and stared at Basta, when she didn't answer after a long moment his eyes narrowed and a sneer began to cross his face. "I do," she replied softly and added silently to herself, _for now._

"You may now exchange the rings," the official exclaimed. Basta took the ring a black jacket had handed him and placed it onto Kris's finger. The band was made of gold with the words: _Semper Fidelis_, the Latin words for _Always Faithful_. Great, this bastard was using her morals against her.

A black jacket handed a ring to her and Kris forcefully pushed the ring onto her new husband's ring finger. She had been hoping to hurt him, instead he smirked and muttered in her ear, "Don't worry little wildcat, I'll tame you."

"Y-You may now k-k-kiss the b-bride," the official exclaimed before the black jackets surrounded him again.

Kris took a step backwards, "We don't know eachother well enough for this –"

"Don't worry," Basta purred with a smirk, "We have all the time in the world." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her body so close to his that her arms were pinned in front of her, which prevented her from hitting. Her feet, were free however she'd lose her balance if she attempted to kick him; she had already fallen in front of these men tonight, she refused to do it again. She wasn't going to have them seeing her as a clumsy and stupid woman. Oh no, one day they would see her as a strong and intelligent woman who would somehow be the undoing of them all, especially Basta. Each time Kris attempted to turn her face away from Basta's kiss, he followed; finally Flatnose came over and grabbed her by the back of her hair, forcing her head to stay still as Basta trapped her in a long kiss. The moment Basta's lips met hers, Kris felt the hope in her heart shatter; she'd have to rebuild it and quick. There was no way she was allowing this monster, or anyone else at that, destroy the traits, such as her strong hope, that made her who she was.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the official exclaimed before he was dragged off.

Half an hour later, after being slapped on the back by numerous black jackets, Basta led his reluctant bride towards the picnic tables. The best picnic table, one made of metal with cushions glued to it, was reserved only for Capricorn and the winner of the prize.

"Capricorn," he bowed. He glanced over at him when he didn't feel his bride bending with him. He hissed in Kristiana's ear, "_bow now_."

Basta was surprised to see Kris met his glare with a steady unyielding icy gaze of her own. He was amazed, never had he met such a damned stubborn woman before in his entire life! He glanced at Capricorn, who had stiffened and was beginning to sneer at the disrespect of not being bowed too. Without another choice, Basta kicked his bride's feet out from under her, causing her to fall onto her knees in front of his leader.

"Kristiana….I assure you that you shall not be harmed as long as you do what your husband and I say. You shall always show me respect by bowing when I enter the room, or you enter a room when I am in it. You shall not talk back to your husband, and you will treat him with respect and recognize him as not only your husband but the man who owns you."

"I belong to no one!" Kristiana growled, "I'm a human being, and no human can own another. If you read up about American history, you'd see one of the causes of the Civil War was the battle against slavery!"

Basta's heart pounded, he found himself terrified that he was about to lose his new wife as well as himself. He turned to Capricorn and opened his mouth to apologize. Capricorn would hear none of it; he lifted his open hand and signaled for silence from Basta.

"I know of your country's Civil War, the War between the States. The fight for the South wasn't just over slavery; it was also over freedom from the North."

Basta smirked when he saw Kristiana's mouth quickly shut. She glanced down, her lips still shaped in a sneer. She was going to be a tough one to break, and he was looking forward to the challenge.

A small cry escaped Kris's lips a few hours later as Basta shoved her into his house. She noticed it was small, and the living room was being used for a giant bedroom. Beyond the bedroom, with its large and creaky bed and dresser with a cracked mirror, were a tiny bathroom, a small kitchen, and another room off to the side. Her gaze traveled to the top surface of the dresser, she was puzzled to find herself staring at burnt bricks. Then, on the bed, was a set of new clothing for her. A white button down shirt, an ankle length black skirt, a black jacket with a rose tucked into its buttonhole and to her surprise a locket.

"I'm not going to bed with you," Kris growled as she backed away from the piece of furniture. "I'd rather sleep on the floor."

"You're not sleeping on the floor, neither am I." Basta rasped as he shoved her to the bed, "Now let me tell you this: I'm not a light sleeper, yet I have a rule about sleeping with one eye and ear open. So if you try to escape I'll catch you and you'll learn the consequences about trying to humiliate me again and trying to escape me. Do you understand?"

Kris glared at the man before her with the thin boy like body. Hate caused her to see red and anger made her heart feel as if it were burning. This man was everything her mother, a psychologist, had warned her about. He was vile, controlling, abusive, crude, and terrifying. She wanted to do nothing more than to turn and jump out the window, but knew that to be impossible. Not only because she was afraid of being hurt (though that was a risk she would later take when she could gather up the resources she needed to escape), but because the black jackets had been in Basta's house hours before. New bug screening had been installed over the windows, and that screening was sure to be loud coming off. _Damn!_

Kris was about to answer when Basta's hand flew out of the darkness and smacked her, causing her right cheek to burn and sting with pain. Tears began to well in her eyes again; she blinked them away and stared up at Basta in anger. "I was about to answer you!"

"When I ask you a question you answer immediately, do you understand me?" He demanded.

"I understand," she replied before taking the locket off the bed. Basta watched her with a small smirk but didn't bother explaining the pendant. She carefully pried open the locket and gasped to find her and Basta's pictures on the inside. "How?"

"It's your I.D. photo," Basta smirked.

For a moment Kris thought about asking Basta, why are you doing this to me? But that would sound weak, and he'd prey on that like a hunter closing in for its kill. If she was going to survive this damned village and her new life she was going to have to play his game. But one day his game would end and hers would begin, and oh would be sorry, so very, very sorry that he ever messed with her.

"It's beautiful," she said softly.

"You think so?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow, "Good, because except for bathing you're to never take it off." He walked behind her and clasped it around her neck. "Now," he smirked as he unbuttoned his jacket, "It's time for our wedding night."

Kris paled, "I don't-"

Basta's eyes narrowed, "We're husband and wife," he growled, "Get used to it. You now have wifely duties to perform, so strip," he grabbed a knife from his belt, "Or I'll cut that damned thing off you."

Kris glared at him and slowly began taking off her wedding dress, she took a deep breath. Maybe she could turn this around on him a little.

"Basta."

"What?"

"If any other man attempted to hurt me or touch me the way you're about to….Would you let them?"

"Hell no!" He growled, "Any man who damned well harmed you or tried to rape you I'd kill. You're my wife, and Capricorn has taught each of us to love our wives like they're part of ourselves. Any bastard who touches you, I'll kill."

At least he had some morals, "Before we….Begin….I'd really like it if….We could get to know each other better. I wouldn't be so reluctant then." Surprisingly, that wasn't a lie. If she could get to know him at least a little better she'd be able to have something to think about that would help to keep her mind off of what was happening to her body.

"What do you want to know?" He questioned.

"Where you came from, who were your parents, how did you grow up?" She asked. A few minutes later she knew the story of Basta. When he was very young his parents had left him in middle of a town all by himself. Without anyone else to turn too, he joined a group of homeless children and robbed food from vendors, stole from those with money, and basically made other peoples' lives a living hell (much as he did now). Then, Capricorn found him, trained him to become a black jacket, and years later Basta became Capricorn's main henchman; and in turn, Capricorn became a father figure to Basta. Then, during his teen years, Basta had fallen in love with a pretty young lady named Roxanne who refused his hand in marriage and married "that damned fire eater, Dustfinger" instead. A year after Roxanne, he met another girl who refused to court him because his breath stunk; needless to say he murdered the young woman and chewed on peppermint leaves ever since. Then there was a strange story about a man named SilverTongue who read Basta out from a book called Inkheart.

Frighteningly, Kris was beginning to believe Basta and Capricorn and most of these men were from a different world. They acted and talked differently than people in this world did. They acted….As if they were from the medieval ages, their demeanors, behaviors, and beliefs seemed to be from the times when men and women would walk around with flowers under their noses to block the rancid smells of death from the plagues. The way they walked, talked, and behaved could easily make even the best _Dungeons and Dragons_ role player green with envy.

"What about you?" Basta suddenly asked.

Kris paused and explained how she was born in Florida, a state in America; her family moved to Georgia when she was 10 when her father accepted a job at a nearby college. He had been one of the greatest literature professors that the college he worked for had ever seen. Her mother, meanwhile, had been a psychic; her guides had mainly been angels. Kris could still recall how upset her mother had been when she learned Kris's brother had inherited the gift, but Kris hadn't. Kris glanced at Basta and continued her story. When she was 15, her father had been killed in a car accident by a drunk driver; the doctors were certain his death was so quick that he didn't know what had happened. Her mother raised Kris and her brother, both of whom were fraternal twins, until her death five years ago. The doctors said she had passed away from a heart attack, "but I know she died from a broken heart, she loved my father more than words could ever express. She was his, and he was hers….Those two were inseparable…"

"Anyway, when I turned 19 I went to college, got a business degree, and trained as a banker. I can't say that I loved the job, because I didn't and don't….It was the only thing I could think of-" Kris was cut off short by a snore. She looked beside her and smirked, Basta was completely out cold. Her plan had worked. Maybe she could delay the 'wedding night' a little longer….Maybe long enough to find a way to escape….


	3. Meet Dutch & Dustfinger

_**Disclaimer: Inkheart and all of its characters belong to Cornelia Funke. Interview with the Vampire and Lestat belongs to Anne Rice. Kris's boyfriend, Dutch, is based off a character from "Abby Cooper: Psychic Eye" by Victoria Laurie.**_

_**(A/N: Special thanks to DimensionalTraveller for helping me with this chapter. I'm terrible with Dustfinger's character, so she wrote Dustfinger's parts for me after I asked. Thank you DT, I owe you! And the scene with Dustfinger is in this chapter is for CRAZYPINKGIRL.)**_

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FBI Special Agent Dutch Moorsey paced back and forth in the Georgia International Airport and his gut told him what it had been telling him since his girlfriend had not stepped off the plane the day before: Kris was in trouble. It was not like his significant other to not call him for an entire day, let alone not appear on her scheduled flight. He had visited her last November, and she was happy and safe. Something had changed.

"I need to get to Italy," he grunted to his best friend and colleague, Agent Byron Meyers. His friend looked at him and shook his head for a long moment.

"Dutch, man, I totally see where you're comin' from, I'm worried about Kris too…But the Bureau ain't gonna let you just go and fly off to Italy because of a gut feeling." He frowned as he leaned forward in the plastic chair at Italian Air Gate 5.

Dutch pushed a hand through his short brown hair, "What we say someone in Italy gave us a lead to a criminal we've been pursuing?"

"And if we don't come back with that criminal not only are we going to be fired, we'll probably be charged with theft for stealing the bureau's money."

"Either way, we have to get over there. I have enough money for a flight-"

"Woah, Dutch, are you forgetting something, pal? Your account is maxed out! You just bought a house _and_ an engagement ring. You buddy, are not going to sprout wings and fly away, you don't have the money for that."

Dutch growled in anger, "I'll pawn the damned ring!"

"Don't do that," Another voice exclaimed. Dutch turned to see Kris's fraternal twin, older than her by one minute, Daniel.

"Why shouldn't I do that?"

"One, because my sister loves you more than life itself at times, and two because I had a dream last night of Kris."

The two agents stared at Daniel, unlike Kris, he looked like a full blooded Native American with copper colored skin; a square facial shape; eyes so dark they were nearly black; and his hair was long, straight, and raven black. Kris resembled her father with her French Canadian skin tone, her eyes were the color of an ocean at night, and her hair was as red as fire.

Dutch and Byron would have shrugged Daniel's "Dreams" off as any skeptic would have, only Daniel had something most psychics didn't: the fact he was the bureau's most powerful and successful psychic. It wasn't well known that the FBI used psychics, in fact it was practically kept a secret since the public was already convinced a certain area of the bureau was dedicated to U.F.O.'s and alien hunting.

"What did you dream of?" Dutch questioned, he hoped Daniel's dream could provide some type of usable evidence that would allow him to fly to Italy to get Kris.

"My sister….She was abducted by a tall man with a flat nose and a broad forehead….His partner was short with black hair and a goatee, he walked with a limp. In my dream she was given to a short man whose voice sounds like a hissing cat….he loves knives. She was forced to marry him….And she's currently in an abandoned village, I have the information about it here. The village's name is Faustus, which is Ancient Greek for 'lucky'."

"Do you have any evidence? The director isn't going to allow Dutch to go on the fact his girl could be at a town called Lucky." Byron frowned.

Daniel leaned back and glanced at Byron, "I do. One of the criminal's you all have been chasing, Justine La Belle, has been sighted near that village by a dozen Italian men and women."

Dutch reached into his suit jacket's pocket and grabbed onto his cell phone, he was going to Italy.

* * *

The next morning came all too soon for Basta. The morning life of the village began with those annoying song birds, then came the sound of the singing maids, and finally the familiar sound of the black jackets taking their day posts around the village. Basta turned over and smirked at the sight of his new bride still fast asleep, her arms were wrapped around her pillow and her knees were drawn upwards to her chest. Basta had given her one of his old dress shirts to wear for sleep; it was twisted tightly around her body, and he was very appreciative of the view it gave him. Kristiana wasn't as thin as some women in this world were, instead she was like the women in his world – not so thin she resembled a stick, but thicker around the waist which symbolized she was not poor. Basta couldn't bring himself to understand why women in this world liked to resemble the poor by starving their bodies to keep them so tiny; he didn't like fat women, but he liked women with _some_ meat on their bones.

It wasn't until he thought about the previous night's events that he realized his new bride wasn't only a wild cat, she was a sly and cunning vixen! She had bored him to sleep with her life's story, which preserved her virginity for one more night. Basta's eyes narrowed, part of him wanted to shake her awake, yell at her, and tell her to never pull that again. But he couldn't bring himself to do that. He was actually very impressed by Kristiana's slyness and bold moves. He was so impressed that he was going to suggest to Capricorn she be more than a mere servant, but the first female black jacket. She had the makings of a black jacket, if she could trick him into falling asleep this easily, then she could trick anyone into doing or saying anything; just like a con artist could.

Basta slowly crawled out of bed and went into his bathroom, took care of his morning business, and filled a bucket with cold tap water. He carried the bucket back to his bed and thrusted it forward and watched as the wave of water splashed over Kristiana.

Kristiana had been dreaming about her brother, Daniel. In her dream her she was safe in his arms.

_"I am here, little sister…Do not worry, you will be alright. Dutch is coming to get you."_ He whispered the moment before something cold and wet splashed over her body, causing her nerves to scream at the icy sensation that jolted her out of her sleep. Kris shrieked in shock and sat up and looked down at herself. She was soaked, Basta's old shirt clung her form and showed her new husband everything she had.

"You asshole!" She shouted in anger.

Basta, obviously too occupied by bending over and slapping his knee with wild laughter, didn't seem to notice the insult. His face was bright red and a long strand of his brown hair fell over his left eye, strangely making him resemble Lestat from the movie _Interview with the Vampire._

_Great, I married a friggin' vampire that doesn't know he shouldn't be awake or near the sunlight!_ Kris thought to herself in anger before stumbling out of bed and towards the bathroom. A few minutes later, she came out and covered herself with a towel that was unfortunately filled with holes. She stared at her new clothing and noticed a very important undergarment was missing: a bra.

"Where's my bra?"

"Huh?" Basta asked after taking a few long breaths in an attempt to recover from his laughing fit. "What's that?"

"It's like a corset…Only….It goes over the chest. You saw the one I was wearing," Kris crossed her arms.

"You don't need that."

"Yes I do."

"I said you don't need it, so get dressed," Basta snarled at her as he grabbed his knife from his belt.

"Alright," Kris shrugged, she decided it was time for reverse psychology, "Fine, I won't wear it. And when the other black jackets see how gifted I am in this area they'll be staring. But that's alright, I mean, they wouldn't try to touch Basta's wife." She gathered her clothing and walked towards the bathroom.

"Don't you dare put that on until I get you a bra!" Basta suddenly snapped then turned and raced out of his house as if someone had lit a fire under his bum. Kris smirked to herself, but quickly wiped it off her face when a black jacket stepped into the doorway, his back turned to her, to make sure she didn't escape. Kris sighed; she was going to have to be cautious when she used sarcasm, reverse psychology, and manipulation. Basta, after a while, would catch on if she constantly manipulated him.

Two hours later, Kris had learned the layout of the village, met the kind cook named Amaranth (her name was a type of flower and the name means unfading). She learned where Capricorn's church and house was. She also met the head maid, Mortola, who all the black jackets called the Magpie. She and Basta were almost back to Capricorn's church when a young man with three scars on his left cheek stepped in front of them, sitting on his shoulder was a horned martin. _Weird._ Kris thought to herself.

"What do you want, Dirty Fingers?" Basta snarled at the man. Kris realized this man must have been the guy Basta was telling her about last night, Dustfinger.

"Only to meet the poor soul who was doomed to become your wife," Dustfinger shrugged and pushed a long strand of his blonde hair behind his shoulder. Kris noticed Dustfinger was a very handsome young man; his face was oval shaped until it reached a square chin, his eyes were as blue as the morning sky; and he was tall. She could instantly understand why Roxanne had chosen Dustfinger over Basta. For one thing, Dustfinger didn't have the malicious aura that Basta had. He also spoke in a softer voice that calming instead of terrifying.

Basta snarled, "Back off Dirty Fingers, she's mine."

"I simply wanted to greet her and introduce myself," Dustfinger replied, "I can see she has no interest in me what so ever."

"That's because she's smart, fire eater." Basta growled and grabbed Kris's wrist so tightly that it hurt, and Kris wondered if any blood was able to circulate through his tight grasp.

Dustfinger stepped towards her and gave a bow, "My lady, my name is Dustfinger, I am a simple performer," he smiled and turned a little, then drew a deep breath. He blew air out over the heel of his palm, and Kris was amazed to see the air had magically turned into a burst of fire.

"Wow, amazing! My name is Kristiana-" She started, Basta growled and jerked her back behind him which caused her to fall silent halfway through her introduction.

"Now, Basta, you're hurting her," Dustfinger frowned, "Why not let her go?"

"You're trying to take my wife like you took Roxanne!"

"I didn't _take_ Roxanne, she chose me," Dustfinger sneered, "It's too bad I didn't attend the Competition last night, because I would have won this fair maiden without a struggle."

"No you wouldn't have," Basta snarled, "Besides, you're married!"

"Not in this world," Dustfinger shrugged. The moment after he shrugged Basta pushed Kris to the ground so hard she fell. When she attempted to break her fall with her arm, she only succeeded in twisting it and pinning it beneath her. She gave out a small whimper of pain then looked up in time to see Basta's fist flying towards Dustfinger's stomach.

* * *

Basta's hate for Dustfinger had just grown; the damned performer thought _he_ could have won the prize by simply blowing fire around. He pulled back his arm and threw another punch, his fist hit Dustfinger's chin, leaving the fire eater stumbling backwards and raising his arms in an attempt to protect himself from Basta's attack. Basta, blinded by hate and anger, continued forward and was too angry to notice the fire eater rubbing his palms together and then pulling them back in the stance a pitcher would take to throw a baseball. Suddenly a bright fireball went soaring towards him; Basta's heart pounded in terror which caused him to scream and duck in terror. _Fire!_

Flashbacks invaded his mind. He recalled seeing his favorite dagger in a fire back in the Inkworld when he was young. At the time he had been so focused on retrieving the weapon that he hadn't thought about the consequences of becoming burned. He reached his arms and hands into the fire and screamed in pain when his shirt's sleeves caught ablaze and burnt his arms, leaving scars upwards from his wrists to his shoulders.

When the flashbacks finally ended he looked over to see Dustfinger helping Kristiana to her feet. Basta then noticed the way Kristiana was holding her right arm; his gaze traveled upwards to her face. It was wet from tears. _Good, she deserves it for flirting with the fire eater! Next time she flirts with Dirty Fingers I'll do worse than twist her arm!_

"Get away from her!" Basta snarled at Dustfinger.

* * *

"Remember," Dustfinger said softly as helped Kris to her feet, "Basta is _extremely _superstitious. If a situation ever comes to the point you need him to be distracted mention a black cat, if it's around, or a ladder and someone walking over it, mention shoes on the table, or even an umbrella being opened in a house. He'll grab hold of that silly amulet bag around his neck and you'll have an instant escape. But only use that to your advantage when you must," he patted her good shoulder gently and rushed off towards an alley way.

"What did he tell you?" Basta growled to her.

Kris raised an eyebrow, "Only that he didn't want to stick around any longer, he was afraid you would have killed him." She watched her husband straighten his posture and puff out his chest like a proud peacock.

"I would have too," he smirked, "What's wrong with your arm?"

"I twisted it when you pushed me down."

"What's wrong with your arm?" He snarled.

"I just told you…" Kris began, and then realized he wanted the fall to be _her_ fault. She noticed his hand was beginning to race towards her face, "I twisted my arm when I was klutzy enough to not watch where I was going and fell."

"That's right," Basta smirked and grabbed her left arm and dragged her off once again towards Capricorn's church. As they walked towards the church the only thought that went through her mind was her dream. She prayed the dream she had was maybe a pinch of her mother's psychic gift shining through. She hoped that Dutch really was on his way to get her.


	4. The Magpie & Capricorns Wife

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters, they all belong to Cornelia Funke. I own Kris, Leigh, Brenna, Lucinda, Byron, and Dutch.**_

_**(A/N: Check out my profile page under story updates. A picture of Kris is now up along with a photograph of a 1930's gangster (baby face nelson) who I think looks like Basta. :-) )**_

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"Wait here," Basta growled as he grabbed Kris by both her shoulders and pushed her in front of the wall beside the church doors. He looked to Cockerell, who was eyeing his wife with a smirk.

"Well, well, look who returns," Cockerell laughed in his coarse voice. Basta glanced at his wife and smirked when he saw the look of anger cross her face. Oh, she was a brave one! A fiery little vixen who seemed to not fear anyone nor anything.

"Keep your hands off her, Cockerell," Basta exclaimed as he walked down the nave. He needed to speak to Capricorn about making Kristiana into a female black jacket. She could go with him and the others on burnings, and maybe one day she'd be the one to light the fire! But, he had to take it one step at a time. She was going to need training since she didn't seem to have the cruelty bone in her, as he did. When he reached the front of the church, he stopped by the first step and bowed deeply to Capricorn.

"Basta, what is it you have come here for?" Capricorn asked as he duct-taped Darius into a duct-tape mummy. Basta had seen Capricorn fascinated with certain objects in this world, however, his utmost favorite item was without doubt duct tape. He loved the "stickiness" and toughness of the tape, and how his victims looked as if they had walked into a black spider web.

"To talk about having a female black jacket."

Capricorn stopped taping Darius and Basta had to hold his breath to keep from laughing. The hunchbacked reader was taped from head to toe and only his glasses were showing.

"A…Female…Black Jacket?" Capricorn questioned slowly, "Why should we have a _woman_ as a black jacket? Have you lost your mind? Women cry at the mere sight of violence, they sob when being hurt, and they become animals when they see a way of escape."

"Kristiana is different."

"Kristiana? Kristiana who attempted to escape us last night and fell on her face?"

"She's different when she is not shackled," Basta smirked. "She is a wild cat…Even better, a Vixen with a forked tongue. She can con anyone into anything."

"We have con men, Basta."

"We do not have a con woman," Basta softly replied.

Capricorn paused, "How can I trust she will do our work and not try to warn the victim? I am looking at her now, Basta, and though she is tough, she is not evil."

"She can be," Basta replied calmly, "I can prove it."

"How? I highly doubt she would be one to make a child cry."

He paused, Capricorn was right. Kristiana, although he had not known her long, had the heart of a hero. She reminded Basta of the silvertongue who read himself, Capricorn, and Dustfinger out of Inkheart.

"She is a beautiful creature, Basta," Capricorn said as he leaned back in his chair. "The more beautiful a creature is, the more trouble it is worth….Basta, you may _bring_ her with you this next time to a burning. However, if she causes trouble she will be confined to the village and will not be allowed out again. She will _not_ be considered a black jacket until she can prove herself to be one. Teach her all you know, Basta, and make sure she learns. If she learns and uses the skills you taught her without delay, and I see proof of this, I shall make her into my first female black jacket."

"Thank you," Basta replied and gave a low bow to Capricorn.

* * *

"You're not going over there, and that's final!" Dutch's supervisor, Lucinda Reyes, exclaimed for the umpteenth time in an hour.

"Justine-"

"Was spotted in Italy, so I have heard," the raven haired woman replied as she placed a thick pile of paperwork into a plastic bin on her desk. "However, Agent Moorsey, you seem to forget something, you're nearly on suspension. And the Justine problem is out of our hands completely."

"That's what they told you last month," Dutch argued, he felt as if his heart was being ripped to pieces. Kristiana was in danger and there was nothing he could do to help her.

"Agent Moorsey," Lucinda exclaimed, her voice filled with frustration, "I _know_ the reason you want to get to Italy so bad. Your girlfriend didn't come home on her scheduled flight yesterday. Did you ever stop to think she decided to stay there? Maybe she fell in love with the country? It's been known to happen to people who go over there for a work exchange. Or, did you stop to think she didn't make her flight in time or….maybe she's not coming home because she's no longer interested in you."

Dutch attempted to keep the snarl off his face but failed, "I know Kristiana. She's practically OCD when it comes to arriving at least three hours ahead of time for a scheduled flight. She's terrified of being left behind. The last time I saw her in November, all she could talk about was coming home, what she wanted to do, and how she was thinking of getting a different job."

"Things change." His superior shrugged.

"If she had changed her mind about anything, coming home or me, she would have called me. She's not a coward who 'forgets' to answer messages because she runs from everyone and everything, _miss_."

Lucinda stared up at him slowly; her dark eyes seemed to become darker as she squared her jaw. "Don't you ever take that tone with me Agent." She pushed her glasses up her nose, "I command respect out of all of my agents, and I am about to take this from you simply because-"

"What would you do if you found out your husband went missing in that damned sandbox he's stationed in?"

Lucinda stared at him for a long moment, "That's irrelevant."

"Oh, it's quite relevant, since he did go missing over there three years ago….And you took off. You went after him…and you found him."

Lucinda paused, "That was me and not you-"

"So I have to follow orders and you don't?" Anger rushed through Dutch's body like a greedy fire that was eager to burn anything that would feed it.

Lucinda paused, "Close the door."

Dutch turned and closed the door.

"I can't allow you to go," Lucinda said strictly, her eyebrows drawn down. "Now, I worked for 20 years to get this position Agent Moorsey, and I am not going to compromise it because of your girlfriend."

Dutch tensed and squared his jaw.

"Now, before you go shooting your mouth off again, listen to what I am going to say. Listen hard. Don't you ever bring my husband into any conversation or argument again, especially not as a means to change my mind. Secondly, I cannot allow you to go because there is no reason for it, Justine's been found. Her body was found in Italy three days ago in a forest near an abandoned village. Someone slit her throat open. I can't allow you to go because _my _superiors would scream."

"What was she doing over there anyway?"

"She was over there to find the missing American women who worked at Laffite bank. She took vacation time and left to find these women….She must have found something out since whoever murdered her seemed pretty angry, from what I've been told."

"Any witnesses?"

"Why am I even sharing this with you?" Lucinda groaned.

"Because you need to talk and because you know it's safe to talk to me….What I need to know is if you don't want me to go over there in fear that I'm going to be killed, or because you don't want Kris to come home. What we once had is over."

"I'm not jealous of Kris," the older woman growled, "I am following protocol and attempting to keep you alive."

"Send me over there to help the Italian police find the killer."

"I can't, but you could go if you were….on vacation."  
"I don't have the money," Dutch grimaced.

Lucinda paused, "Yes you do. That house you bought…"

"NO!"

"What if you get over there and Kristiana's dead? Seeing that house would only break your heart."

"She's not dead," Dutch growled.

"Dutch," Lucinda exclaimed holding her hand out, "I have to keep every thought in mind, alright? It's my job. Sell the damned house, go on vacation, and don't come back here until you find her. Let me make this easy for you: You're suspended until further notice…."

Dutch paused then growled, "Fine," he began to take off his badge.

"No, keep that," Lucinda replied, "But hand over your service weapon. I know you have guns at your house and that badge may be the only thing to save your life. Now get out of this office and save your girlfriend!"

* * *

The next afternoon, Kris found herself scrubbing a shirt up and down an iron washing board. Her shoulders ached and her arms felt as if they would soon fall off. Basta had given her his dirty laundry, and had clearly stated from now on she'd do whatever he wanted of her. Earlier that morning she couldn't argue, she felt as if her spirit had been ripped from her body and crushed. Basta had raped her in the early hours of the morning; when Kris had screamed and cried for help he had simply laughed and stated no one would come to her aid. They were married; they were doing what was expected of them.

"Are you alright?"

Kris looked up and was surprised to see one of the women from her wedding night standing beside her. She too, was washing a man's clothing.

"No…Not really." Kris whispered, she had been struggling all day not to cry. She refused to give the black jackets the satisfaction of knowing they had finally hurt her.

"I'm so sorry, Basta's a monster," the woman frowned.

"It's not your fault."

The woman tucked a strand of her long brown hair behind her left ear. "I was lucky to marry Fulvio," she said softly, "He's not like the others. He's actually kind and gentle. He waited until I was ready."

"That's….Really good, you're….Very lucky," Kris replied as she continued scrubbing Basta's shirt.

"Yes, I am. So are you."

"Far from it," Kris scoffed.

"No, you truly are, you're married to Basta and no man but he can ever touch you because of that. The other black jackets don't respect Fulvio and they always touch me where no man but him should touch." Tears began to well in her forest green eyes.

Kris hung the shirt over the side of the wash basin and forced herself to put her pain and anger to the side as she wrapped her arms around the younger woman.

"What did they do to you?" She asked softly, already knowing the answer.

"They touch me in areas no man but Fulvio should ever touch, they're crude, and…and…Fulvio can't stop them." The woman sobbed. "How I wish I was more like you, Kristiana! You're so strong, and the black jackets have a huge respect for you because of that also. And Basta is the leader of the black jackets and they know not to mess with you."

"They shouldn't be messing with you either," Kris replied as a realization slapped her in the face. She _was_ lucky to be wed to Basta. Her husband was a powerful man in the village, _and_ the men would listen to him. "I can tell Basta what's going on and he can stop the others."

"R-really?" The woman sniffled, "You'd do that …for me?"

"Of course," Kris smiled. "Does Fulvio ever defend you?"

"Always! But the others don't respect him because he's not black hearted as they are. At night he holds me close and apologizes."

"Well, he won't have to apologize soon," Kris smiled. "Now, you know my name but I don't know yours."

"My name is Aurelia Wibeke, but everyone calls me Leigh."

"That's a pretty name," kris smiled.

"Thank you, it…it is a family name." She replied softly, "I was born in the Wibeke family. Our family is a warrior family that has roots in the medieval ages. I was named after an ancestor who was said to be a princess, my name means golden. What about yours?"

"Kristiana means 'Follower of Christ,' my grandfather on my father's side was a reverend. My middle name is Taima, it means 'Crash of Thunder.' My mother was Lakota Sioux, Native American. She gave me the name when I was ten and I defended my older brother in a fight at school. She said I reminded her of the thunder beings with their loud voices and strong will to protect and defend one of their own."

"That's a beautiful name…" Leigh smiled.

"What is going on here?" An old woman with a small wrinkled face, long and pointed noise, thin lips, and beady eyes snarled. To Kris's surprise the woman looked like a Magpie, was this the woman that Basta had been telling her about earlier?

"N-Nothing Miss Mortola," Leigh stammered as she began wiping her sleeve cuff over her cheeks.

"Are you sobbing again?" The woman snarled, "Toughen up, Aurelia! You get no respect because you deserve none with your constant sniveling. You!" She pointed at Kris, "Why are you talking, you should be doing laundry!"

"I'm working on my husband's laundry now, but my arms are sore-"

"You're arms are sore, too bad. Get back to work or I'll make your arms even sorer!"

Kris squared her jaw and noticed from her peripheral vision that Leigh was shaking her head no.

"Miss, I was told by Capricorn that I listen to him and my husband."

"Well you listen to me too, this is your warning: I am Mortola, the head maid. I have a very high standing with Capricorn and all of his men. If I want your tongue cut out Capricorn will do so."

Kris crossed her arms, "And if I want a snake in your bed I'm sure my husband could easily arrange that."

Leigh's mouth fell open as she began to back away, her face pale and a look of terror crossed her face.

"And just _who_ is your husband?"

"Basta."

Kris had to fight back a smirk at seeing Mortola's long and thoughtful pause. When the old woman scoffed and began smoothing out her skirt Kris knew she had touched a nerve with this Magpie.

"Basta may have a powerful standing, but so do I. You watch your step around me and pay me respect," Mortola growled before she turned and walked away.

"You really should not have done that," Leigh said in a small squeak. "Even Basta fears her."

"It seems the feeling is somewhat mutual between them," Kris replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know," Leigh replied softly. "But I do know this, Mortola never forgets a grudge and I'm sure she'll make your life a living hell with every chance she gets."

"Whatever she dishes out I can take. It may be painful and humiliating but I can do it."

"Just remember you said that," Leigh replied softly.

"I saw the entire thing," a new voice exclaimed. The two women turned to see one of the blonde women from Kris's wedding walking towards them from out of a narrow alley way.

"Hello Brenna," Leigh greeted with a large smile.

Kris looked at the women who had joined them. She had bronze colored skin, large dark brown eyes, and a kind smile. Her hair loosely around her shoulders and blended in with her black jacket.

"Hello, Kristiana, I am Brenna, I do not know if you remember me or not."

"I remember you," Kris replied with a small nod. The woman hadn't been one of the women who had dressed her, instead she had been the one to give her Basta's ring. Other than, she mainly stood beside Capricorn.

"I overheard what you said to Mortola. Leigh speaks the truth when she says Mortola holds a grudge, however I she will not do anything about it. She was your first test."

"Test?"

"Basta wishes for you to become the first female black jacket of our village," Brenna replied softly.

"I can't do that," Kris frowned.

"I suggest you try," Brenna replied, "I really do. It's better than being a maid. You don't have to bow down to Mortola's every wish and command."

"How do you know all this?" Kris asked in curiosity.

"Brenna is Capricorn's wife," Leigh explained. "She wasn't given as a prize; she was touring Italy when her car broke down near Capricorn's first village. He fell in love with her and wed her. She protects us."

"Oh jeez, that has to be rough," she frowned.

Brenna chuckled, "At times, but it is a much better lifestyle than other woman in this village has….Not that I mean to brag," she blushed.

"Is there anything you can tell me about him or Basta that I need to know?"

"Well, the first thing I can tell you about Basta is he is completely taken with you. You're all he ever talks about right now. However, you should know that you'll always come up second in your relationship. His first love is his knife. But, I think you should know that you and I are the only two women who don't have to worry about personal safety. Although the Black Jackets make fun of Basta constantly, they have a strong respect for him and know that if he threatens to cut out someone's tongue, he'll do it. And I am sure he'd put a snake in Mortola's bed for you."

Brenna paused, "The only thing I can truly tell you about my husband is to watch your ever move around him. He's very smart and very observant, and if he can find something to use against you at a later date he will. Whenever you see him, his painting, or one of his statues _always_ bow, well in our case curtsey. If you don't you get hurt."

Leigh nodded, "I learned that the hard way four years ago after Fulvio won me. I didn't bow to Capricorn and Basta hit me hard in the back before Fulvio could stop him."

"No other black jacket would dare to touch you," Brenna replied, "But Basta will do the same. He is completely loyal to Capricorn and worships the ground he walks on. Never try to get between them, because you will lose."

"I won't," Kris replied. "My husband is a monster."

"He's not a complete monster," Brenna shrugged, "He can be kind when he wants. He's very kind to you, but you just haven't been around long enough to observe this yet. Speaking of your husband….He's coming towards us."

"Brenna," Basta's voice exclaimed, Kris didn't have time to turn when Basta's arm wrapped around her shoulders. "It's always a pleasure to see you."

"As it is always a pleasure to see you," Brenna nodded. "Your bride is a good woman, you are very lucky to have her. Cockerell, Antonio, and nearly all of the black jackets are very envious."

"They should be, I have the most beautiful wife, besides you, around," Basta smiled and kissed Kris's cheek. When Kris didn't move Brenna motioned with her eyes that she needed to return the gesture. Kris put her dignity aside for a moment and turned and kissed Basta on the lips.

"Now that is what I call amazing," Basta rasped with a huge smile. He wrapped his arms around Kris and dipped her and pulled her into a long and passionate kiss. When he pulled her up again, Kris saw that it wasn't romance Basta had been giving her. Instead he had been showing off for a small group of black jackets that had been passing. "Capricorn wants me to take Brenna and you shopping."

"That sounds fun! Let me take Kris and help her with her hair real quick and we'll be right out." Brenna smiled as she dragged Kris towards the tallest house that was also in the best shape, in the village. She turned when they entered a room filled with red tapestries, golden vases, a jewelry box overflowing with pearl, ruby, and Diamond necklaces, rings, anklets, bracelets, and more. "Look, I know how hard it is to sometimes put your dignity aside, but you need to give Basta a chance and force yourself to show emotion towards him."

"I can't." Kris replied, "I don't love him."

"Well, force yourself too," Brenna replied as she grabbed a pearl handed hairbrush, "He's the only man in your life."

"No, he's not," Kris replied. Brenna turned her so she was facing in the mirror. Kris hated the look of her face at the moment; it was filled with a deep sadness and heart break.

"He's not?"

"No, I have a boyfriend back in America who came to visit me in November. He's an FBI agent named Dutch, I love him so much. We've been dating now for five years."

Brenna paused, "Dear, oh dear, you are in a bit of dilemma aren't you? Look at me, if this man loves you….than he will understand why are you are forcing yourself to love Basta. You have to put this Dutch to the back of your mind. Believe me, if you don't and Basta finds out about him…."

Kris looked up at her, "What?"

Brenna stared at her for a long moment. "If Basta finds out about his man he will find a way to lure him from American to Italy and kill him. Basta is a _very_ possessive individual, and you belong to him now. He's making certain that everyone, including you, knows that."

"But what if Dutch shows up here?"

"Then I suggest finding a way to get him out of Italy as fast as you can."

"And I'll go with him, I am going to escape."

Brenna paused, "Don't tell me this. Everything I hear I have to report to my husband, I'm going to pretend I don't know about your escape mindset. I'll tell him about Dutch, but I'll say he's an ex-boyfriend, because the information will get back to Basta, Capricorn will be sure of it." She began braiding Kris's hair, "Look, Basta by all means can be a very nasty and evil man….But I've seen him with women he truly likes and respects. He doesn't hurt them, so just listen to him, obey him, hug him, and kiss him. Because I do think he is more than smitten with you, I do believe he loves you."

"Lust, maybe, but not love. Love takes months or years…"

"Not always," Brenna replied, "Love can appear within a few short hours. I can tell you now by the way Basta watches you, he loves you. Don't break his heart."

Kris glanced at her reflection and just for a quick second she could have sworn she had seen her brother in the doorway. She bit her lip, she'd do what it took to survive, however, she would not bow down to every one of Basta's commands as Brenna was saying too. If that's how she got by, fine. _Brenna's a victim and she plays the role very well. I refuse to be a victim, I still have my strength and hope. Something no one can ever take from me. I'll stay strong and I will find a way to escape this hell hole._ Kris thought to herself, _Basta can be possessive all he wants, but he'll never own me or my heart. Maybe he did hurt me, however, I'll build myself up to where I used to be. Somehow, I will escape! Not while shopping though....If I try to escape this soon they'll label me a runner. I need them to trust me so they'll let me go out on my own....Then I will escape._


	5. Shopping & Disco Basta & Dutch in Italy

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters, they all belong to Cornelia Funke. I own Dutch, the flight attendant, Kris, and Brenna.**_

_**(A/N: this chapter was for CrazyPinkGirl….It's going to be the last Dustfinger chapter for a while. But, here it is. :-) )**_

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Two hours later, Kris found herself in middle of a small clothing store in the village of Camillo, a small village named after a war hero who lived in the medieval ages. She felt happy with herself since she had told Basta about Leigh, at first he didn't seem to care, but after she asked 'what would you do if she were me?' He immediately promised to scare the living hell out of his black jackets.

Kris stood in amazement how people passed her, Brenna, and Basta without a second glance. Inside Kris was shrieking _someone please help us! Can't you see we're in trouble? Can't you see we need help? _But she knew no one would help. After all, who wants to get themselves in trouble with people like Basta and Flatnose?

"Hey, don't look so morbid," Brenna whispered to her as they wandered into a blouse section. "This is a really rare opportunity and you should be happy not to be stuck wearing black all the time."

"I'm not being morbid," Kris hissed back.

"I know you're thinking of _the escape_," Brenna exclaimed in a dramatic gasp. Kris sneered at her. "Don't sneer at me, Kris. It's you who won't adapt, if you adapted to the lifestyle of being a black jacket's wife you'd see it isn't so bad, especially considering you're married to the second most powerful man in the village. You should be counting the lucky stars that you're not married to Flatnose or Cockerell." She paused to look at a blood red silk blouse, "Hmm…I think Capricorn would probably like this," she commented loud enough for Flatnose to hear. The giant rolled his eyes, grunted, and slung the garment over his arm.

When the two got further down the aisle Brenna whispered, "Enjoy this time, shop 'till you drop. It's one of the few times we get this privilege. If you blow it with your saddy maddie attitude, my husband will figure we didn't care for this excursion and we'll never be out in the world again! Besides, you're being given the chance to become closer to Basta, I've already chosen three garments and you haven't gotten anything. Black Jacket husbands make great clothing racks and believe me, Basta won't mind holding as many garments as you want him too."

"How will he pay for all this?"

"Pay?" Brenna snorted, "Please, we _don't _pay, none of Capricorn's men do. Each store we shop at has an owner who is paying Capricorn protection. If they cause a stink about us not giving them money, then Capricorn burns their house or store down," she smirked with a small shrug and began to rush over towards a garment that had caught her eye.

Kris stopped in her tracks and watched Brenna run off. Brenna was brainwashed! She didn't care to escape; why escape when she could have anything she wanted?

"Did you find something?" Basta asked as he walked closer to her. Kris nodded,

"Yes…" She started and to her surprise she did. "This," she beamed holding up a midnight blue tunic with a black belt a few inches above the waist line.

"I guess that looks good," Basta shrugged, "I've never shopped before."

Kris stared at her new husband in shock, "You've never shopped? Where did you get your clothing from?"

"A few of the maids we kidnapped when we first arrived in this world bought Capricorn and I's clothing," he shrugged.

"Well, how about I help you look for some new clothing?"

"No," Basta replied.

"They'll be black," Kris smiled. Basta had been making her life very uncomfortable with his constant threats, possessive attitude, and the way he kept cleaning her knife. If clothes shopping made him uncomfortable, then she was more than happy to repay the favor. "Besides, you need something that will fit your frame better; those clothes look dumpy on you."

"They do not!"

Kris turned, "Please? Just this once?" She recalled the look she gave to Dutch when he refused to give up his old clothing to make way for the new. She arched her eyebrows upwards, held her folded hands in front of her heart, and made her face look as innocent as she possibly could. A minute later Basta began to kick his foot and glance down at his feet; it was the same action a school boy did when a teacher asked him if he had dipped a little girl's pig tails into an inkwell.

Kris paused, the look on Basta's face let her know he was considering it, yet he was still stubbornly clinging to the answer _no_.

"A little change is always good, and with a new suit comes a new belt, nice and shiny. They even make leather knife holders that are very decorative. I saw one when we came in here, it had a dragon carved into the leather flap."

"Really?" Basta asked, his dark eyes shining with sudden excitement. Brenna had been right about one thing; Kris did come second in Basta's relationship with her. His knife was definitely number one, which she didn't mind at all.

"Really. After I get my clothes, we'll go clothes shopping for you, how about that?"

"You're not tricking me into doing something humiliating are you?" Basta suddenly growled, his face losing the excitement it once held. His tone and his icy gaze were less than friendly. "Because, if you are…."

"I'm only trying to be a good wife," Kris fired back. To her surprise Basta flinched a little as if she had slapped him.

"Alright, then, we'll finish your shopping then we'll go shopping for me."

* * *

Dustfinger slapped his hand over his mouth as he attempted to muffle his snickers and laughs. Basta, clothing shopping for himself! Kristiana _was_ good at what she did! He watched as Kris paused to look at different blouses and skirts, whenever she came to a garment such as slacks or jeans Basta would pull her away. Women in Capricorn's village were not permitted to wear pants, ever.

From atop his shoulder, Gwinn began to chatter. Dustfinger smirked, "Don't worry Gwinn… I know exactly what Basta should wear…."

* * *

An hour later, Kris had all the clothes (including a nightgown and a pair of pajamas) that she wanted and was eagerly leading Basta towards the men's section of the store. Finally she had some control over _him_. It was an extremely rare opportunity and she doubted she'd have it again soon. She glanced over her shoulder to see Brenna waiting in one of the chairs in middle of the store with Flatnose. A sudden sadness stormed upon her happiness; Brenna would never experience this kind of freedom and happiness, not as long as she was under Capricorn's control and influence. To Brenna, the village was a good place; the men were rough but decent; and the most she knew was that she was happy to finally have someone she could call friend, since they were somewhat in the same 'class' together.

Kris just didn't find it fair that the other maids and other Black Jackets' wives couldn't go on shopping excursions as well. However, she forced herself to ignore the information buzzing around her head; the information about the medieval ages she had learned in her humanities class. She forced herself to push Brenna aside, today was about _her_ having a good time and controlling _Basta_, instead of vice versa. She pushed the storm cloud away from her and smiled when she reached a suit that caught her eye.

"Now _this_ is very handsome indeed," she beamed as she studied the black jacket, white shirt, and black slacks. The jack was designed to be slightly loose around a man's upper torso, then near the waist it tightened and molded against the man's body, until the end of the suit where it loosened.

"No, I can't have that one," Basta rasped.

"Why not?"

"No Black Jacket is ever permitted to dress nicer than Capricorn himself," Basta replied, "It's an insult to such a great man."

Kris bit her lip and forced herself not to comment, instead she looked for a suit that wasn't as nice.

"Ppssst!"

Kris jumped and glanced behind her shoulder at Basta. He was looking at a display of pocket knives; his attention seemed focused on a hunting knife.

"Kristiana, over here!"

Kris walked behind the large display of ties and jumped when she found Dustfinger.

"Dustfinger," she exclaimed with raised eyebrows, "What are you doing here?"

"I was performing in the village's square when I saw you all walk in. You pick out a suit for Basta and leave the rest for me," he exclaimed with a mischievous smile.

"Dustfinger, this is my time with him-"

"And if you do anything to embarrass him what will happen?"

Kris paused, "He'd probably beat the crud out of me or kill me."

"Yes, and for that very reason you need my help. Basta and I's….Pranks, have gone on for years. I can do what you can't, because he can't harm me. He'll be too afraid of offending the fire." He smiled as his horned martin jumped out of his bag and onto a table that was filled with folded pastel colored dress shirts. "Please, trust me."

Kris sighed, "I do trust you….I….I just don't want you to get hurt because of something I wanted."

"This is something I want just as much as you and I'm the one who's telling you to butt out. Don't feel guilty over a situation you have no control over," he replied softly before sinking down behind the ties, "Go! Go! He's looking for you!"

Kris glanced around and quickly grabbed a black snake skin belt; the silver buckle at the end was shaped into a skull biting a dagger. She raised an eyebrow; this had to be the perfect belt for a black hearted medieval villain. Kris came out from behind the stand with a wide smile.

"Found it!"

"Found what?" Basta questioned with a look of confusion on his face.

"This," Kris smiled as she handed him the belt, "I saw it and it reminded me of you."

Basta grabbed it and studied it for a long moment. A large smile crossed his face, "You're finally getting to like the idea that you're mine now."

"I am," she smiled, in her mind she envisioned her fingers crossed. "It just took me a little while to realize it, you know how stubborn of a person I am."

* * *

Dustfinger watched as Kris continued to keep Basta occupied with the snakeskin belt. Smirking he began grabbing suits off racks, shirts off of tables, and boots off the shoe stands. After looking at the clothing in the changing room he paused and decided the best attire for Basta would be a tie-die shirt; corduroy bell bottoms; platform shoes; a few heavy golden chains, one with a disco ball hanging from it; and huge black sunglasses. The only thing the attire would lack was chest hairs.

Dustfinger glanced over an aisle at Kris was choosing more moderate attires that weren't embarrassing, but quite flattering to Basta. It wasn't until he looked closely he noticed everything Kris was choosing was four sizes too large for her husband; Basta had the frame of a boy and the clothing she had chosen would slide off him. Between Dustfinger's disco attire for the knife-wielding-maniac, and Kris's large clothing, Basta would soon be the laughing stock of the village, courtesy of the king-of-gossip-Flatnose.

From on his shoulder, Gwinn chattered. Dustfinger smirked, "Don't worry, Gwinn…Basta is about to meet a strong magic in this world that many call 'karma'."

* * *

Kris had intentionally chosen clothing that were sizes too large for Basta; when his back was turned, however, she grabbed the right sizes and draped them over her left arm. When he asked would she was thinking about his clothing, she would pretend to look humiliated and state she was shopping for Flatnose as well. However, before Kris had a chance to make her plan known, a sales man took the clothing from her and placed them into two separate dressing rooms. She was about to get angry until Dustfinger, with a large mischievous smile on his face, peeked from around a large metal rack containing wallets, hats, socks, and other novelties. He winked at her, and she knew that whatever was going on was his doing.

"I go into that small room and put the clothing on, and walk out to show you?" Basta asked for the fifth time in ten minutes.

"That's right," Kris replied, "Just walk in, change and walk out, and I'll tell you what I think."

Basta stared at her for a long moment, and then walked with his shoulders squared into the changing room. She noticed he kept clearing his throat and flinched anytime Flatnose would glance at him with a questioning look. _He's uncomfortable_, she realized with a small smirk on her face.

* * *

Dutch now had a little over 15,000 dollars in his bank account, thanks to his business savvy sister who had married a very well-to-do actor. However, his sister had gone overboard by chartering him a private jet to Italy, which he now sat in. It had been almost six hours since the plane took off and it was now landing at the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport. The moment he got off the plane, he'd book himself a motel room after visiting the Laffite bank.

Questions traveled through his mind as quickly as lightning flashed in the sky. What had happened to Kristiana? Was she abducted? Who took her? Was she alive? (A question he prayed would have a positive answer.)

"Sir?" A young Italian flight attendant questioned, "We have landed."

"Oh….Thanks," Dutch replied with an absent minded small.

"The pilot said you are looking for someone, yes?"

Dutch looked up at the flight attendant. She was short with shoulder length auburn hair and brown eyes. She had an oval face and a large nose that, for some reason, reminded him of Pinocchio's nose. The look on her face was filled with concern.

"Yes, I am….My girlfriend went missing."

"That is terrible!" The woman gasped, "Do you have a photograph?"

Dutch reached into his laptop briefcase and took the photograph of him and Kris together out. The woman studied it for a moment.

"I saw her!"

"You did?" Dutch asked in surprise.

"Yes, yes, last month, here at the airport. There was a mistake with her ticket; she had been packed and ready to return to America but the ticket had the wrong date. She was very upset, but went back home I suppose."

"She was supposed to be on the flight back to America three days ago," Dutch frowned. "I know the bank manager kept her ticket for 'safe keeping' for her."

"Oh dear, which bank does she work for?"

"The Laffite Bank in Da Vinci Village, I know the village goes by two more names."

"Yes, I know of the village, I am so sorry for your love," she suddenly crossed herself, "She is one of the several women who have been kidnapped over the last eight years. Her dissapearence was all over the news." She leaned forward and whispered, "She was probably taken by the Cat Man from the Devil's village."

"Excuse me?" Dutch asked.

"I do not have time to explain it on the plane."

"Over lunch, perhaps?" He asked, he had to know everything about these kidnappings, the 'cat man' and the 'Devil's village.' Maybe Kris had been abducted by this so called cat man and dragged off the village?

The woman paused, then nodded, "I am Andria. Who are you?"

Dutch grabbed his badge from his belt, "FBI, Special Agent Dutch Moorsey."

* * *

Basta had looked ridiculous in the huge and baggy clothing and now he looked down right supercilious! He had difficulty walking out of the changing room, the strange pants with the bell like bottoms kept wrapping around his ankles, causing his already unsteady balance (thanks to the strange shoes with fish in them) to become to the point he kept tripping.

"Basta?" Kristiana asked him wide eyed as she snorted and quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

_She had better damned well cover up her mouth! No one laughs at me, no matter how ridiculous I may look!_ Basta growled to himself and looked down at his attire. He felt like Dustfinger in that stupid performer's attire he used to wear in the Inkworld.

"Why the hell did you choose this?"

"I didn't!" Kristiana exclaimed wide eyed, "I would have never chosen something so ugly, not to mention stupid." Basta glared at her long and hard and could see her eyes shining with laughter, maybe _she_ wouldn't, but someone would have. As if reading his mind a loud laugh erupted throughout the store. Basta turned to find Dustfinger standing near the front door, hunched over with his arms wrapped around his waist, his face bright red with laughter.

"You make a fool out of me?" Basta shouted in anger and grabbed his knife from the pants pocket and began to run after the fire eater, who stood in place still laughing. Basta hadn't run two steps when the loose fabric of the bell bottoms intertwined causing his feet to begin losing their balance in the insane platform shoes, a moment later he fell on his face. After a long moment he looked up to see the glass door of the clothing store swinging open and shut. "You can run, fire eater, but you can't hide. When I see you again I will _KILL _you!" Basta hissed in anger and humiliation. Thankfully, Kris was right behind him helping him to his feet and rushing him towards the changing room. Little did he know, that she too was laughing her heart out.


	6. Dutch Vs Basta

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or its characters, they all belong to Cornelia Funke. I own Kristiana and Leigh. "Dutch" is based off of a character in a book series I'm reading, Abby Cooper Private Eye, by Victoria Laurie.**_

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The next week was filled with learning her new daily routine. Each morning Kris woke along with her husband, quickly showered and dressed, and went to Amaranth's kitchen. Her early morning duty was to make sure Amaranth and her cooks stayed on task with Capricorn and the black jacket's breakfasts. After breakfast was served, Kris's job was to help Mortola get the maids ready for the day's duties: cleaning after breakfast, doing laundry, picking up trash, stitching torn clothing, and more. Then, she would return at lunch time to Amaranth's kitchen and make sure the cook got the food out in time. After lunch, she helped Mortola get the maids to clean the tables in a timely manner. Then, her afternoon belonged to Basta; each afternoon he would teach her what she needed to know about being a henchman for Capricorn. Most of the details caused her to cringe and shudder in horror; but she always hid her expressions. After the afternoon was over, her job was to attend to Capricorn's needs in the evening.

It was during one of these evenings that Kris's hope went from withering to blossoming.

"There is a man asking about Kris, he claims to be from the country America. He calls himself an 'FBI Special Agent'," Cockerell exclaimed as he stood in Capricorn's living room with his fingers interlaced behind his back.

Capricorn studied Cockerell for a long moment with his colorless eyes, then looked to Kristiana, "Who is this man?"

Kris, who was cleaning one of Capricorn's glass and gold rimmed vases, replied with a dumfounded look, "I don't know, Capricorn, sir. My country has different times of law enforcement, as all countries do, and the FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, is one of them."

"Why was he sent here?"

"I suppose it was because the day I was taken was supposed to be the day I flew back to America. My brother must have reported me as a missing person, and contacted them."

Capricorn frowned and turned to Cockerell, "Have you seen this man in person?"

"No, Capricorn," Cockerell replied, "We have only heard the reports while gathering the monthly payments from the villagers. One woman described the man as tall with broad shoulders, ash brown hair, and a long thin nose. He wears a badge on his belt."

"Take Flatnose and Fulvio with you. Find this man, bring him back here, I will decide what is to be done with him."

Cockerell bowed, "Yes Capricorn," he paused and glared at Kristiana for a moment, as if she had committed some terrible crime.

"What are you standing there for?" Capricorn asked, his voice slightly deeper from irritation.

Cockerell bowed his head, "Nothing sir, it's just….She's a little odd is all." He spun on his foot and walked out of Capricorn's house. Kristiana gently set down the vase and rearranged the black, purple, and blue roses inside. The roses were made of fabric so they'd never die; however it never failed to send shivers up and down Kris's spine that the roses were the colors of a bruise.

Capricorn looked over at Kris, "Kristiana, I believe I have something that belongs to you."

Kris looked over towards Capricorn, who snapped his fingers and a young boy dressed in a black jacket scampered over with her purse in hand. Kris had to keep her feet rooted in place since her first instinct was to lunge and grab hold of the purse. It contained her cell phone, her mother's angel oracle cards (her mother had insisted on her death bed she take the cards everywhere with her), her wallet, some make up (that she rarely wore), pens and pencils, and some gum.

"This is yours," Capricorn stated as if he were speaking of the weather. He reached into the pink and brown bag and grabbed hold of her mother's cards. "I was bored one night before going to sleep and decided to explore your bag, it never ceases to fascinate me how women in this world keep these silly bags with them filled with useless little knick knacks. Everything in your purse I have seen before, except for _these_," he held the cards up. "What are they?"

"They're Oracle Cards, sir. They belonged to my mother…She was a psychic intuitive. She would use the cards when her guardian angels and spirit guides were sending her messages she didn't understand. She gave them to me later on."

"Do you know how to use them? Are they reliable? I have seen people in my world use items such as these when no fairies or goblins were available to give fortunes."

"They were always reliable for my mother. I know how to use them, and have used them once in a while."

Capricorn paused and put the cards back into Kris's purse and handed the bag to the young black jacket who carried it back to its hiding place. Kris watched as her purse disappeared around the corner; she looked back at Capricorn, who was tracing his little finger around his pale colorless lips with a thoughtful expression.

"Many of my men like their fortunes taken. However, I find it a waste of time. If I were to give you the cards next week would you read my men's fortunes for me?"

Kris nodded, "Yes sir, I would." Sometimes the cards would hold personal messages, according to her mother anyway; if so, maybe they could help her find Dutch and know he was safe.

Capricorn nodded, "Be on your way then, I'm letting you go early. I want to learn more of these winged creatures that everyone in this world seems to enjoy speaking of….Angels."

Kris nodded, gave a quick curtsey, and quickly left Capricorn's house. As she walked around the village attempting to find Basta she prayed over and over again for Dutch's safety.

**

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Dutch groaned as he slumped into a chair in a restaurant across from the Laffite bank. All he had run into this week were dead ends. The only information he had received was information he already knew. The only other lead he could find was a young teenage boy was seen driving a black car towards the two men that took Kris. One man, a witness reported, had a goatee and walked with a limp; with him was a giant of a man whose face looked as if something had smashed it. He had walked out of the comic book shop with Kris hanging over his shoulder. He sighed and left a dollar tip for the waitress and stood, he had to find more leads. They were out there, they had to be. Just like Kristiana was somewhere close…So close but yet so far.

As Dutch left the restaurant and stepped out onto the sidewalk of the quiet street he took a moment to admire the orange, red, and yellow sunset. At the sound of a shoe scuffing the sidewalk behind him, Dutch turned and reached for the pistol at his right hip when he spotted the man with the goatee who walked with a limp, behind him was a giant of a man with a flat face. Beyond them was a smaller man who couldn't have been older than his mid twenties. He wore a black eye patch over one eye and seemed to have a kind face. _Yeah, and Ted Bundy had a real kind face too_, Dutch said to himself.

"I know who you men are," he growled at the trio, "I want to know where Kristiana is!"

The man with the goatee smiled, "You may be seeing her soon enough. We've been searching for you, wearing our voices out from village to village; our feet feel as if they are on fire."

"Yeah, well, I've looked pretty damned hard for guys too," Dutch replied with a snarl as he kept his right hand firmly wrapped around the handle of the pistol. He noticed the men talked oddly, but he shrugged it off, all crazies seemed to have their own langauge.

"How nice," the man smiled, before nodding to someone behind him. Dutch turned and jumped in surprise at seeing the young man with the eye patch. How the hell had he gotten back there without Dutch noticing? Before he could find the answer a sharp pain traveled through the back of his skull and his world went black.

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Kris was helping Leigh and a few maids clean up the village square for the night when a sudden commotion broke out through the village. She was glad the square was filled with bright spot lights allowing her and others to see Flatnose, Cockerell, and Fulvio returning to the village towards Capricorn's church. In between Flatnose and Cockerell was to Kris's horror her struggling boyfriend. She began to take a step forward when a sudden voice in her mind shouted, _Don't! He'll be killed if they find out!_ She stopped in amazement, she didn't have the gift of intuition…..So then, why did she just have a intuitive flash telling her not to reveal Dutch's identity? _You're intuition will show up one day when it is needed, love._ Her mother had told her years ago when she was very young.

"Oh my," Leigh whispered, "I see they found the man who was asking people about you. Dear, I hope they don't harm him."

Kris bit her lip and whispered, "I pray not, that's Dutch."

Leigh gasped, "That is the man you were telling me about yesterday? My, he is handsome."

As the black jackets grew closer Dutch's struggles ceased the moment he saw Kristiana. His bright ocean blue eyes seemed to regain a look of hope in them, "Kristiana!"

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" She asked, and tried to say with her eyes _please, Dutch, forgive me I can't let them know. Basta will kill you if they find out…._

Dutch stared at her and looked as if she had just slapped him. The expression on his face drove a dagger through Kris's heart and as Cockerell and Flatnose dragged him into the church she had to struggle to hold back her tears. Leigh placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know a way for you to talk to him."

Kris sniffled and turned, "You do?"

The other woman gave a small smile and nod, "Capricorn always fully deals with visitors in the morning. He prefers them to be clean and fed, since they tend to be more cooperative this way. You can be the one to clean him up, and I can see if Fulvio will be your guard."

Almost an hour later, Kris walked with Fulvio towards the 'cages,' Dutch was in the room with the 8 on the door. Excitement and sadness filled her heart, which confused her emotions and made her a little afraid.

"He'll understand," Leigh had assured her earlier, "If he loves you, he'll understand."

Fulvio began to unlock the door and glanced at Kris, "I'm doing this a special favor because you had Basta tell the others to leave my wife alone. For this I am forever grateful, but know this is the only time I can allow this. Ever. If Basta ever finds out who this agent is, he'll kill me."

"He won't find out," Kris replied softly as Fulvio returned to the stubborn lock. She glanced at the sidewalk behind her; it was a long and lonely walk. The black night, which was only illuminated with the village's few lights, made it eerie, and the crickets humming their familiar tune didn't make matters any better. Suddenly the door creaked open.

"Basta will find out one day," Fulvio whispered.

"And I'll tell him the truth, you didn't know." Kris replied as she slowly walked in, Fulvio leaned in after her and flicked on the light switch.

"Only ten minutes, any more than that and Basta will come looking for you."

Kris nodded and watched as the door shut, she turned and found Dutch sitting in a pile of hay. His arms were draped over his bent knees, and a large gash on his forehead made Kris's stomach tighten with guilt.

"Dutch….I am so sorry….I….I had to say what I did…Or..."

Dutch looked up at her, his cheek was also bleeding. A small smile suddenly spread across his face, "Kristiana." He tried to stand, but after a wince he sat back down, "When I didn't bow some guy with a knife hit me in the back." He looked up at her and held her arms out. She ran gladly ran over to him, knelt down and embraced him in a tight and long hug. "You have no reason to be sorry, Kris. I know why you said what you did, to keep us both alive. We're going to get out of here soon, I promise."

Kris drew back, "I'm so sorry for what Basta did to you."

"You know his name?"

Kris bit her lip and nodded, "He's my husband."

"What?" Dutch asked as he lurched forward, his eyes wide, eyebrows raised in shock; his shock soon wore off replaced by anger. "What the hell happened?"

"I was kidnapped 10 days ago today," Kris replied as she grabbed the washcloth from her coat's pocket and placed it into the warm soapy water in a blue bowl she had brought with her and set down before hugging Dutch. "My lunch break was half over and I noticed a creepy client, the man with the goatee, Cockerell, I had earlier was following me.I knew something was wrong. I ran into a comic book store, but the kid there works with the Black Jackets, Capricorn's men. I fought them and even cut the giant –Flatnose's- hand Clark Kent's neck. They caught me and brought me here for a competition the black jackets have each year. The men all beat each other up and the last one standing wins the prize, which this year was me. Basta chose not to share me and so were married."

"God…" Dutch whispered in horror as he stroked the side of her face, "Tell me he didn't hurt you."

Kris bit her lip, "It's nothing that won't heal in time."

Dutch leaned forward, "What did he do to you, Kristiana?"

"Just a punch and a slap, that's all."

"It's more than that. I can see it all over you. You look like something important was taken from you, as if…..Oh shit….That bastard raped you." He growled.

"Dutch," Kris whispered as she gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "I try not to think about it, and you shouldn't think of it either. What we both need to focus on is survival and escape. If you do what Capricorns says, you'll have a longer life expectancy."

Fulvio knocked on the door from the outside and grunted, "Five more minutes."

"Alright."

"How do you know that guy can be trusted? He's one of the men who brought me here," Dutch scowled.

"I know, he was ordered too. If you disobey orders," Kris slid her outstretched index finger across the base of her neck. "He had no choice, he's not like the others. His wife, Leigh, was a prize too. I helped them out a few days ago and Fulvio is letting me in here as repayment of the favor," she explained as she gently cleaned Dutch's forehead. He winced in pain, but didn't comment. She bandaged the cuts on his head and leaned back. "I missed you so much," she exclaimed as she leaned forward and kissed him.

"I missed you so much too," Dutch whispered when the kiss ended, "I'm going to do all I can to protect you."

"No, no you're not. This time roles are reversed," she replied. "This time you need to trust me. Whatever happens, don't let Basta know about us. He's very possessive and he will kill you."

"He can try."

"And he will," Kris stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "Just be careful and pretend I'm just another missing person, alright? And if you get the opportunity to escape, take it!"

"No way in Hell, I came here for you and I'm not leaving this damned village without you!"

"Yes you will," Kris retorted, "And when you return, you'll bring help."

Fulvio knocked on the door, "If you're hugging him or anywhere too close to him, back up now!" He warned, "Your husband is coming!"

Kris kissed Dutch on the cheek, "I love you." She grabbed the bowl and just as she was beginning the stand the door flew open. Her pissed off husband stood in the door frame, the darkness of the night made him look more sinister than ever. His narrow face was contorted with a scowl, his dark brown eyes narrowed in fur; he looked an angry fox after a farmer had dared to chase it away from a chicken coop.

"Kristiana," Basta grabbed her with one arm and pulled her to him so quickly the bowl fell to the ground and shattered. He held her tightly and glared at Dutch, "Like my wife, Law Man?"

Dutch glared at Basta. The glare he was giving Basta, Kris knew all too well, it was the look Dutch gave right before arresting monsters such as pedophiles, wife beaters, and psychopaths. A look of hate and disgust.

"She's an awful pretty lady for someone like you to have hanging off his arm."

Basta sneered at him, "She's my wife. You'll be lucky if you ever get this close to her again. If you so much glare at her cross eyed I'll slice your neck open with my knife!" He threatened before turning and dragging Kristiana out of the 'cage' with him.

"Did he touch you?" Basta growled.

"No, he just sat there while I tended to his wounds."

"I heard talking from you and him."

Kris shrugged, "I was simply asking him why he came here looking for me."

"Oh? And what did he say?"

"He said he came to find me after he saw how upset my older brother was."

"Brother? You never mentioned a brother."

"Yes I did," Kris replied, "You fell asleep. My older brother's name is Daniel. He's my fraternal twin, and one minute older than me."

"Oh," Basta replied before squeezing her closer towards him.

**

* * *

**

Dutch watched to punch that bastard's lights out. He had grabbed Kristiana so quickly and forcefully that she had stumbled, dropped her bowl, and could have been hurt. He leaned back against the cold hard wall of the animal stall and squeezed his hands into fists. At least he knew one thing; Lucinda knew he was in deep shit. He had woken up halfway back to this quaint little village and when his abductors were focused on his badge and driving he had snuck out his cell phone, dialed and tapped S.O.S. onto the receiver when she answered. He had left the phone and he knew he would be rescued. Hopefully the phone's battery had lasted long enough when they reached the village, so Lucinda would have the GPS coordinates.

To keep himself from going out of his skull from silence, minus the sound of the moth's buzzing wings as they attempted to closer to the light bulb hanging from the ceiling, he thought about the moment he had seen Kristiana. She had been standing beside a shorter and younger woman. Kris's face had shown shock, but something else as well: Hope. Had she had any hope of escape since this….Cult had taken her? Who were these people? He thought about the man, Basta.

When Cockerell and Flatnose had released his arms, Dutch had been shocked to see the palest man had ever seen. Hell, this guy could have easily made it into Guinness Book of World Records for being the most colorless human being alive. He had simply stated his name was Capricorn, the man with the knife, Kris's forced husband Basta, had punched him in the small of the back when Dutch had refused to bow.

"You are here because of the woman you seek; you are causing trouble for me and my village." Capricorn had announced, "By putting my village in danger, you have also endangered the one you seek, Kristiana. Why are you here for her? Are of you some relation? Not a lover I hope, if so then I must tell you, nothing I can do or say will keep Basta there from killing you."

At the time, Dutch hadn't understood why Basta would want to kill him over Kristiana. But now he understood all too well. Basta had a possessive personality and anyone who attempted to take one of his possessions probably never lived to tell the tale. _And my girlfriend is trapped with that bastard._ Anger began to boil in his blood again; he took a deep breath and swore to himself he wouldn't do anything stupid. He couldn't afford too, not now. Not when he was finally so close to Kristiana again.

"I came for Kristiana," Dutch had replied to Capricorn, "Because her brother filed her under missing persons. I'm a friend of his and I swore I'd bring his sister back. I'm here for Kristiana, and the moment I have her I'll leave back to America and you'll never see us again." The moment after Dutch had finished that sentence; Basta had lunged forward and attacked him. The gangly man had beaten Dutch to the point where he could barely walk. Kristiana didn't know about the many bruises, and probably a few cuts and scrapes as well, along his arms, legs, torso, and stomach.

Dutch wouldn't tell her either, just knowing she was alive helped him. He hadn't understood why Basta had attacked him so ferociously at the time. Now, just like before, he understood. In Basta's mind Kristiana belonged to him, and no one would take her from him. No one.

"Well, guess what ass hole, she was mine first," Dutch whispered in anger. "And she's still mine and I'm taking her with me. You can rot in hell for all I care."


	7. Kris's Bad Day & Basta Grows a Heart

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters, they all belong to Cornelia Funke. "Dutch" is from Victoria Laurie's "Abby Cooper: Psychic Eye." I own Leigh and Kris.**_

_**

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**_

Two days later, Kris and Leigh were cleaning the table in Capricorn's church. The black jackets, including Basta, had all gone to Capricorn's house. They had been rowdy and excited, which caused the hairs at the back of Kris's neck to stand on end. Something was wrong, but what was going on? With her mind elsewhere, she hadn't been paying attention to what she grabbed and accidently grabbed the blade of a sharp knife. Giving a small yelp she jolted back and held her stinging palm close to her.

"Kris! You're bleeding," Leigh exclaimed in worry.

"I'm fine," Kris replied as she glanced down at her hand. The small slice hurt like a dickens; however, it wasn't bleeding much. Kris winced as she reached into her jacket pocket for the handkerchief she had bought herself a few days ago. She tied it tightly around her hand; until she could go to see Mona, Giopetto's wife who was also a prize last year, she'd have to be careful.

Leigh glanced around the church and leaned closely to Kris, "Stop thinking about him! Basta came to me early this morning and asked me if you said anything about the new prisoner. I told him that you said nothing, other than the fact he appeared very angry."

"Thank you," Kris replied gratefully. "And I wasn't thinking about him."

"Oh? Really, so that's why you looked like you were happy?"

Kris grabbed hold of another plate and carefully set it into the rubber container. "I was thinking about my mother. Today's her birthday."

Leigh paused, "Oh…I'm sorry. What…What was she like?"

Kris leaned back on her heels and paused from taking up the breakfast dishes. "She was kind, loving, and most of the time she wore the pants in our family. She was very strong, especially when it came to her beliefs, morals, and family. She always stood up for what she believed in. During the day she was a psychologist, and during the night she was free to be herself; a psychic intuitive who mainly read from oracle cards. When people found out about her double life, though, they began to stop visiting her. But she didn't care, she'd always say, 'the Great Spirit has a plan and I know to trust in him and it.'"

"What did she look like?" Leigh asked curiously.

"A lot of people say I look like her…" Kris paused, "But my brother looks just like her. She was a full blooded Lakota Sioux, Native American. She had copper skin, very long and straight black hair, high cheekbones and a high forehead, dark eyes, and a smile that could melt ice. She always talked really softly and believed there was goodness and beauty in everyone." She paused, "All my life I've tried to be like her, but now after….Basta….And all….I just don't know."

"Your mother was a good woman," Leigh replied after a long moment. "I think you should continue believing what she taught you. I'm good, so is Darius and Brenna is too, somewhere deep down. I mean, it's not her fault she is the way she is….Capricorn brain washed her."

Kris smiled, "Thanks, Leigh."

"That's what friends are for," she replied and paused, "Hey! This is the first time I've been able to help you."

Kris smiled, "Yeah, it sure is. I do ask for help a lot you know."

Leigh laughed as she loaded the forks into the bin, "Oh yeah, sure you do. Since the very moment you came to this village you haven't asked for help, even when you needed it. You're very strong, but also very stubborn. You do know it's good to ask for help from time to time."

"I know that!"

"You know what?" Rasped a familiar voice that caused both women to tense and slightly cringe. Basta's voice was deep, rough, and scratchy and Kris had often compared his voice to her favorite cartoon villain when growing up, NegaDuck from Disney's Darkwing Duck.

Kris turned with the rubber box still in her hands, "Its girl business."

Basta's eyes narrowed at her, "What business? I see this conversation as important, tell me now."

Leigh was pale and shaking like a leaf, Kris stepped in front of her knowing that Basta was enjoying watching the little maid shake from head to toe.

"It's Leigh's time of month."

"Huh?"

"She's got her period."

Basta stared at her blankly.

"Each time of month, Basta, a woman has a….Visitor. She bleeds-"

"Oh, the Curse!" Basta suddenly howled and quickly placed his hands over his ears. "Say no more! Say no more!"

"Basta thinks speaking about women's bodily functions is bad luck," Leigh whispered in Kris's ear. Kris smirked. Leigh's eyes widened, "No! He'll never forget it and he'll make your life miserable!"

"Don't worry, I'm saving it for later," Kris assured her. "OK, Basta, we're not talking about….The thing anymore."

Basta looked up at her and slowly removed his hands from his ears and listened to the church's silence almost skeptically. After a moment he stood straight and crossed his arms, "Capricorn wants me to interrogate the prisoner. He says you're to come with me to learn how we handle intruders."

Kris's breath caught in her throat. _They're going to hurt Dutch!_ She thought to herself in terror. If she backed out, then Basta would know something was going on between herself and Dutch. She nodded and placed the container on the table.

"I'll be back and I'll help finish the clean up."

"Don't worry about the clean up, that won't be your job much longer," Basta rasped as he walked over and grabbed her upper arm. He glared at Leigh for a long moment. "Are the others leaving you be?"

Leigh nodded, "Yes, thank you so much."

"Good," Basta simply replied before he dragged Kris out of the church.

**

* * *

**

Dutch stared at the men all around him. Each goon was dressed in a tight black suit, shirt, and boots. They wore black from head to toe like crows. Capricorn, the only man in existence without some sort of skin color, sat in his throne like chair dressed in a bright red suit with a yellow dress shirt underneath. The church doors suddenly swung open and Basta entered dragging Kris in tow behind him. Dutch's protective streak flared, causing him to ignore the small head shakes Kris was giving him and lunge at Basta.

"Let her go you bastard! You're hurting her!"

Basta growled and stepped back, pulling Kris so roughly with him that she nearly fell. His tight grip on her right upper arm was the only thing that kept her somewhat balancing on her feet.

"Why is it so many men are taking an interest in my wife? First Dirty Fingers, then Cockerell, now this prisoner!"

Two of the Black Jackets lunged forward and grabbed both of Dutch's arms; they held him away from Basta and away from Kris.

"Basta," Capricorn exclaimed in a soft voice, "Let go of your wife. It is time for our interrogation. Maybe you should tell this man about what we do to wizards who do not follow my orders."

Dutch watched as a blood chilling smile slowly spread across Basta's face. He glanced behind the crazy knife wielding maniac and at his girlfriend. Kris was now standing behind Basta and kept her eyes focused on the church's pillars behind him. After he studied her face for a long moment he realized she wasn't being submissive, as Basta would probably be hoping. No, it was the look he had recognized from dozens of times before. The look that said she was planning something. _Kris, don't do anything stupid!_

"Wizards were a very stubborn bunch in our world," Basta growled. Dutch noticed that Kris was now paying attention, and he could see the familiar fire in her eyes; the fire that had almost been extinguished two nights ago when she visited him. "They would switch to the magical language when they didn't want us to understand them, and they would threaten us with spells and such. However, the moment we needed them to talk I could become….Very convincing," Basta smirked. He stepped beside Kris and wrapped his arm possessively around her.

"Now, Signor?"

Dutch growled, "FBI, Special Agent Dutch Moorsey."

"Signor Moorsey," Capricorn replied as he leaned back in his chair, "Tell me, why have you come to Italy?"

"To find Kristiana as her brother asked."

"You were beginning to tell the truth, Moorsey. However, the fact you call Basta's wife by her first name so easily implies to me that you know her. Am I correct?"

Dutch felt the viselike grip of fear squeeze his stomach. He fell back on his training and narrowed his eyes, "I don't know her personally. I call all missing persons I am searching for by their first names. It makes it personal to me so the poor people, such as Kristiana, aren't just names on paper. The more personal it is to me, the more incentive I have to find them."

"Well, Signor Moorsey, you have found Kristiana." Capricorn looked to Basta and nodded. Dutch watched as the man looked reluctant for a moment, then let go of Kris and shoved her towards him. Dutch lunged forward and quickly caught her before she could fall. Her arms wrapped around her shoulders and for a moment Dutch felt as if everything was right again. Kris was safe in his arms and no one and nothing could harm her as long as he had her.

"Again, you liked Signor Moorsey." Capricorn exclaimed in an indifferent tone of voice, "You caught her very quickly; as a lover would catch the woman he loves before she falls."

"I've never seen her before!" Dutch exclaimed as Kris let go of him and took a step backwards. He glanced at Basta, who was so furious his face was glowing red; his hand was wrapped around the handle of his knife.

"Kristiana?" Capricorn calmly asked.

"I have never seen him before," she replied.

"Well, I see that to be impossible," Capricorn exclaimed as he took her cell phone and flipped open the lid. Dutch's stomach twisted and he see Kris's horrified look. Capricorn tossed the phone to Basta, who caught it, looked up at Dutch and took his knife from its pouch. Basta shoved the phone in his face, the wallpaper showed a picture of himself and Kris sitting on a park bench in each other's embrace.

"Now, Signor Moorsey, I highly suggest you tell me the truth before I allow Basta to protect what belongs to him."

"It's my faul-" Kris started, but Dutch quickly elbowed her. Whatever happened, he needed her to live; he needed her to live a long and healthy life. Even if the FBI couldn't get here in time to save him, they could save her.

"Kristiana is my girlfriend, I was coming here to get her and propose to her." He reached into his pocket took out the diamond engagement ring. He heard Kris's gasp and noticed tears were beginning to trail down her cheeks. It tore him apart to not hold her close, but he didn't want to do anything else to piss off her 'husband.'

"Well….Signore Moorsey, that's impossible to do now. Kristiana here belongs to Basta; she is his and his only."

"She is not property!" Dutch growled.

"In our world, a wife is property of a man," Capricorn replied. "Basta, do whatever you want to this man. Just make sure he lives for now."

Dutch quickly crouched into a fighting stance as several black jackets came towards him. He fought off several before someone hit him in the small of the back, causing him to fall to his knees.

He heard Kris's shriek, "NO!" And watched as several black jackets grabbed hold of her under the arms and dragged her towards the door. She kicked and struggled.

"Kris, go!" Dutch exclaimed, "Don't look back just go! Basta will take good care of you; he'll make a far better husband than I ever would!" Maybe by lowering himself in Basta and Capricorn's view, he could spare himself some pain. Maybe. He hoped.

"Basta, please!" Dutch heard Kristiana shriek, "Please! I'll do anything, don't hurt him!"  
Dutch watched as Basta looked at her and growled, "You belong to _me_, Kristiana! And me only! Take her to my house, tie her up and guard her well. I'll be there in a while."

Dutch watched as the four black jackets dragged her out of the church and down the broken sidewalk. He never got the chance to look up as Basta's fist collided with the side of his head.

**

* * *

**

"Let go of me you bastards!" Kris shouted as she dragged her feet into the old sidewalk and struggled against the four black jackets dragging her towards Basta's house. A few of the men snickered at her use of language, but other than that they kept silent. They paused only for a moment outside of an old shed they stored supplies in. Cockerell ducked inside and came back with a long yard of rope. Kris attempted to wiggle out of her captor's arms, but their grip only tightened to the point she felt like she was being ripped apart.

"Kristiana!" Leigh gasped from behind. Before she could do or say more, Fulvio came up from behind her and turned her around and held her close. The look in his eyes seemed to say to Kristiana 'I'm so sorry.' Her heart fell to her feet; Fulvio had told Capricorn what he had heard.

Cockerell swung open the door to Basta's house and stopped by the bed. Kris struggled when she saw their intent. Since the only piece of the furniture in the house was a bed it made sense. Tears of fear caused her eyes to sting.

"Please, Cockerell, don't! I won't run! Just tie my wrists and ankles and let me sit on the floor or something!"

"No can do," Cockerell growled. "Basta knew about this since this morning, he's a very good actor you see. He said when he gave the order we were to tie you here and leave."

Kris continued her struggles as the two burly black jackets holding her forced her to lie down on the bed. She shrieked and kicked her feet at the third. When they hit his stomach he gave a loud grunt and grabbed her ankles and pinned them down as Cockerell quickly bound both her wrists together and bound them to the headboard of the bed. He cut through the extra rope and tied a tight loop and knot around each of Kris's ankles and tied them to the foot board. As the others began to pile out, Cockerell stayed behind.

"You comin'?" One of the black jackets named Jacopo asked.

"I'll be along in a minute," Cockerell replied.

"You know if you do anything…"  
"Go now," Cockerell snarled, "Whatever I do is of no concern to you or Basta."

Kris's heart pounded in terror, she shrieked at the top of her lungs but Cockerell simply slapped her and placed a strip of duct tape over her mouth. She watched as he leaned down and stroked a strand of her hair from her face.

"What Basta doesn't know doesn't matter….And if you ever tell him," Cockerell whispered in her ear as he took out his knife and stroked the blade over her neck, "I'll kill you….And I'll take my time while doing so, do you understand me?"

Kris glared up at him, and lowered her eyebrows, the most she could do to tell him to go to hell.

Cockerell laughed as he kicked the door closed and reached for her skirt. Before he could get any further the door was kicked open, causing him to jump. Kris looked over, her sight blurry from tears; she instantly recognized Dustfinger. He was standing in the doorway, his hands ablaze with twin flames, his eyes seemed to glow red with fury.

"Get your hands off that woman now!"

Cockerell raised his eyebrow, "Or what you'll set me on fire? You seem to forget if you set me on fire, you'll set her-" Before he could finish his sentence his bum ignited. He shrieked and ran out of the house as Dustfinger ran in and used a knife he had stolen from Basta weeks ago to cut through Kris's ropes.

"Dustfinger? How?" She sniffled.

"I saw you being carried through the village, and I know Cockerell. Back in our world whenever we kidnapped a woman he would always rape her. He's done the same to each of the Prizes, and although you don't remember it, this would have been his second time with you."

"What? No…I…"

"You were unconscious; trust me he was in the parking lot when he did it. I wasn't able to get to you in time, this time I was."

"Dutch-"

"Is fine," Dustfinger assured, "Capricorn is keeping him in his house. He wants him to train Basta's dogs. Look at me, Kristiana, it's time to escape, right now. You and I are going!"

"No, not without Leigh and Dutch!"

"Kristiana," Dustfinger growled, "I can only take one person with me and Leigh told me to take you!"

"No, she needs to get out of here worse than I do! I'm not leaving without Dutch!" She exclaimed as she stood. She heard Dustfinger's loud sigh.

"Kristiana, I'm sorry."

"For what?" She asked as she began to turn towards him, a sharp pain erupted through the back of her skull….And everything around her went as dark as a moonless night….

**

* * *

**

_Kristiana groaned as she blinked her eyes open._

_ "Miss? Miss, can you hear me?"_

_ Kris blinked, her eyes were blurry. It was dark, she was lying on something cold and hard, and her head hurt. _

_ "Miss?"_

_ She struggled and moved her head to look at the man kneeling beside her. He was tall and thin with gray hair and brown eyes. He wore a blue jacket with the words FBI on the left flap. FBI….Dutch's people!  
"Dutch…." She whispered._

_ "No, I'm his partner, Byron Meyers. We were on our way to find Dutch when a homeless man ran in front of our car from out of the woods, screaming that a hurt woman was in an old hovel."_

_ "…Byron?" Kris struggled to place the name. After a moment memories of Dutch telling her about his new partner a year and half ago flashed through her mind. "The one who calls him Dutch-Man?"_

_ "Yeah," the African American smiled, "That's me." As her vision came into focus she stared at Byron. He was a handsome man with roundish face and sharp chin, he had a kind and calming smile, his brown eyes seemed to sparkle with hope._

_ "Du…Dutch, he's in the village..."_

_ "We know. Our boss and a few of our colleagues just arrived there….They found Dutch locked in a room, but the village is abandoned. He's on the phone with one of the agents over there, he's swearing that the village was inhabited by men in black suits. He said the leader was Capricorn and his main henchman, your husband was-"_

_ "Basta," Kris whispered._

_ "Basta? That's an Italian word for 'enough'. Are you sure that's this guy's name?"_

_ Kris nodded, "I was married to him, trust me, I'm sure." She was confused, how could the village have cleared out in such a short amount of time? She looked up at the sky, it was dark with a tiny sliver of a moon. That was odd, just a few minutes ago the sun was bright and shining. "How long have I been out?"_

_ "The man says he was here with for at least three hours. So we arrived around eight, it's midnight now…..So you've been out now for around six to seven hours."_

_ "Kristiana!"_

_ Kris looked up to see Dutch running towards her, "Kristiana!" He beamed, "Kristiana….Kristiana….Kristiana….Kristiana…." Her name seemed to echo all around her, what was going on?_

_ "Dutch?" She sat up and reached her arms out to him, but the more he ran the farther away he got from her. She cried out and turned to Byron, who vanished into thin air. Kris watched in horror as her rescuers all vanished one by one and her name kept echoing her mind. "Help!" She shrieked in terror._

_

* * *

_

Basta had caught Dirty Fingers carrying Kristiana over his shoulder and attempting to sneak out of the village with her. Anger had coiled through him like a powerful snake. However, the moment the fire eater saw he had been caught, he dropped Kristiana and ran like hell. Anything to save his own hide. Basta had been sitting on the foot of his bed waiting for Kristiana to awaken for hours, and still nothing. Until finally she kept muttering something and began tossing and turning. Usually, he didn't mind seeing people having nightmares, however this time it disturbed him. He had learned from Leigh that Cockerell had attempted to have his way with her. She had no idea how Dustfinger had gotten hold of her.

Basta grabbed hold of Kristiana's shoulders and began to shake her, "Kristiana!" He shouted, "Kristiana!" He must have called her name nearly twelve times (thankfully she hadn't snapped out of it at thirteen) before she finally bolted up with wide eyed and wrapped her arms around Basta's neck. She was crying and shaking like a leaf.

"Don't leave me….Please….Please…I don't want to be alone…"

Basta stared down at his wife in shock. Since the moment he first laid his eyes on her she had never shown an ounce of fear. And now here she was, terrified of being left alone. _This is Cockerell and Dustfinger's doing!_ He wrapped his arms around her and gently rocked her back and forth, he hoped he was doing this whole comfort thing right. He patted the top of her head, what else did one do when comforting a crying female?

"Uh….It's ok? I'm here…uh…now…." He stammered. Her grip tightened as she curled up closer to him, still sobbing. Anger gripped his heart and he swore the moment he saw Cockerell he'd make sure the man remembered why no one touched Basta's wife. Then, later, if he ever caught the fire eater, he'd kill him! After what seemed like hours to Basta, Kristiana finally sat up and sniffled. Her eyes were read and swollen; her nose reminded him of this world's Christmas reindeer called Rudolph.

"Are…Uh…Um…Are…ah…..Are you ok?" Basta stammered as he scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

Kristiana sniffled and gave a small nod, "Cockerell…."

"I know. He tried to rape you and Dustfinger tried to kidnap you. You're safe now, I'm here."

Kristiana looked up at him, surprise in her eyes. She remained silent for a long few minutes before finally saying softly, "You want to know how Dutch and I know one another?"

"I know that. That was the past, you're mine now. He knows this now by heart. He's not to even glance in your direction. Capricorn's decided to keep him alive for now, he has interesting ideas about this village's security, and he's going to help me train my dogs."

Kristiana sniffled, "Please don't hurt him anymore."

Basta stiffened, _she still loves him._ He'd have to force his wife to stop loving this FBI man. She belonged to him now. Fulvio had been in earlier and had promised he'd teach Basta how to win Kristiana's heart.

"As long as he cooperates and stays away from you, and does not ever mention you, he will live." Basta assured. "Do you uh…..Do you want to talk about your dream?"

Kristiana shrugged, "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing if you start tossing, turning, and screaming in your sleep."

Kristiana glanced up at him, another surprised look on her face. "I don't understand….Why are you treating me so kindly?"

"You're my wife, someone tried to rape you and kidnap you. I have to protect what's mine, I love you after all." Were those the right words to say? He winced when she burst out crying again. "I screwed up," he groaned.

"No, you didn't….It's just….This is what I need right now….And thank you," Kristiana hiccupped between sobs; she managed to give Basta a small smile. For a moment Basta felt like he was floating on air, finally he was getting somewhere! A few minutes later he knew all about her dream. Dustfinger had kidnapped her, left her in some hovel and let the FBI come. However, right as Dutch arrived people began disappearing and since Capricorn's village was cleared out not even Basta was around to help her. Suddenly he had understood why she was so afraid; he'd be terrified by that dream as well. However, his attention to her dream faded when he noticed his wife was holding tightly onto the locket with their photographs inside it. Once again, he was floating on cloud nine.

It was he, Basta that Kristiana was reaching for, _not_ FBI man Dutch! He smirked and couldn't wait to tell Dutch all about this. It would break his heart, hopefully enough to leave Kristiana alone once and for all.


	8. Oliver Twist & The Trickster

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters; they all belong to Cornelia Funke.**_

_**(A/N: Hi everyone, I know this chapter is short….I meant to write more, but my pet rabbit died of cancer this morning…..I will write a longer chapter in a few days.)**_

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Kristiana was kneeling down in Amaranth's vegetable garden harvesting tomatoes, basil, peas, and a few other vegetables when Flatnose's tall shadow cast over her. She pressed the side of her hand against her forehead to shield her eyes from the bright sun as she looked up into the giant's face.

"Basta wants me to stay here with you, there's been trouble in the village," The giant scowled as he scratched at his flat nose.

"What kind of trouble?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself again," The giant replied.

Kris stared up at the Black Jacket before shrugging and returning to her work. She looked up again to see a small boy handing Flatnose a straw garden hat.

"Here," he grunted to Kris and turned to the boy, "Scram."

Kris looked up at the boy; he couldn't have been more than nine years old. He had pale skin and light brown freckles, his eyes were brown and wide with fear.

"Hello, what's your name?"

Flatnose turned and glared at him, "Do not promote nurture!"

"Oh hush," Kris scowled. Flatnose sneered and raised his hand. Kris glared at him, "If you smack me what will Basta do?" The giant paused and stopped to think for a moment and then lowered his large hand. She looked back to the boy with a kind smile on her face. The boy studied her for a moment, obviously trying to decide if she was a danger to him. After a moment he made his decision and stepped forward.

"Oliver….Oliver Twist."

Kris stared at him wide eyed for a long moment. Oliver Twist was standing before her, she hadn't recognized him at first due to the fact he was leaning heavily on a crutch. She bit her lip and realized Capricorn's reader, Darius, must have messed up again. She had only glimpsed the man once or twice, but had never met him. From what Basta said, the small hunched back man was constantly stumbling over his own words and cowered in fear 'of everything he sees.'

"Hello, Oliver. I'm Kristiana. Could you help me tend to this garden? I need to get everything harvested before the rains come."

Oliver paused, "I've never harvested a garden before…"

Kris smiled, "It's simple, you carefully taken the tomatoes from the vines…Like so," she paused and carefully tugged a tomato from its green vine. "And dig up the potatoes and pull them out of the ground, see?" She pulled up a large potato. Oliver walked over to her and sat on the soft ground beside her and began picking tomatoes off the vine.

"You're really nice," Oliver said after a few minutes of silence. "Everyone else here is so mean. The only other one who's nice is the Miss Leigh, but she doesn't talk to me much."

"Miss Leigh is very nice too, Oliver," she smiled, "But she's just been having a few bad days." Which was not a lie. Poor Leigh was pregnant with her and Fulvio's first child and Capricorn was ecstatic that there would be another generation of black jackets serving him. The doctor had come out to the village after Leigh complained of severe stomach cramps and bleeding. She could only walk around the village for an hour each day. It turned out there was something wrong with her uterus and there was a good chance, if she was not careful, she would lose the baby.

Kristiana had appointed herself as Leigh's care taker for the afternoons. She brought her warm soup, stories her mother used to tell her of heroes from all around the world, and daily news from around the village. Kris's thoughts were yanked away when she heard a black jacket scream in horror. She looked towards the scream with Flatnose just in time to see a tall man with copper colored skin and black hair. He paused from his hurried escape and glared at her and the giant. His eyes were hidden deep in shadow, thanks to the coyote skin he wore atop his head that draped down his back and shoulders like a cape. Then, in front of the trio, he dropped to his hands and knees.

"What in the name of the White Ladies?" Flatnose scowled.

Kris bit back a curse and grabbed Oliver close to her, "Shoot it Flatnose, hurry! It's a trickster named Coyote, one can only kill it while it's in human form!" _Supposedly._

Flatnose looked dumbfounded and confused, but none the less he grabbed his shot gun but was too late. Before them, the man's skin pricked into a light orange and white fur. Long and pointed canine ears grew from the top of his head. His nose and mouth extended slowly into a furry snout and shiny black nose. His fingers and toes shrunk and pulled close together as they too became coated with the orange fur. When the transformation was over, a coyote stood before them staring at them with a dead chicken hanging from its mouth. It ran off a moment later, and no matter how often Flatnose shot it, it never stopped.

"What was that?"

"A shape shifting trickster named Coyote," Kris scowled. "He's a Lakota trickster spirit that my mother used to tell me about when I was younger. He's bad news."

"I need to warn Capricorn, gather whatever you have and follow me. Basta would kill me if I let something happen to you," Flatnose sneered as he walked quickly towards the village square. Kris stood and helped Oliver to his feet and handed him his crutch.

"Kris? Will Coyote hurt us?"

"No, sweetie. Coyote just likes to trick people. The most he'd try to do is take your crutch. Knowing him, he's probably on his way to visit a spider trickster named Iktomi, who is also a shape shifter." She paused with a small smile, "They're probably getting into trouble as usual with Inyan, the rock. One time they gave him Iktomi's blanket, and then came to take it back. Angered, Inyan in form a large boulder, chased them all around the desert and finally ran them over until they were as flat as paper."

Oliver laughed, "They sound funny."

"They are when they want to be," Kris smiled.


	9. Kris is Pregnant & Dutch AKA Robin Hood

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters. I do not own Robin Hood. Daniel, Kris, and Dutch belong to me (though dutch's name was borrowed from a book series.)**_

_**(A/N: Thanks CrazyPinkGirl :) We just got a new baby rabbit yesterday, we named her Luna Eclipse.)**_

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_The village, except for the spot lights in the square, was dark, lonely, and gloomy. Daniel could feel the gold vise like grip the leader of this village had over the land and its occupants. He turned away from the gloomy church and shut his eyes. Where was Kristiana, where was Dutch? He focused first on his sister's energy; Kris's energy was light and bright, filled with love and laughter. After a moment he began feeling a tugging from his stomach area and saw a quick flash of his sister's face in his mind's eye. He followed the feeling towards a small, somewhat stable house with strange plants growing around the doorstep. He had a feeling the male occupant of the house felt these plants were good luck. He pushed open the rotting wooden door to the house and stepped across the threshold. In front of him sat an old rickety bed with a short man with a foxy face and dark brown hair sleeping on his back. Curled up on her side beside the man was his sister; she looked exhausted and her energy was not as bright as it had once been. This village, the evil in and surrounding it, was harming her._

_ "I will find a way to free you and Dutch, little sister," he whispered to her as he leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. He saw her flinch before she buried her face into the short man's shoulder. Daniel paused and studied Kristiana's energy again, something was different about it, besides it being heavier and grayer…..A moment passed when suddenly his heart fluttered. Her energy had a sign of new life about it, his sister was with child. He figured she probably didn't know yet; later, when her sleep was deeper and her dreams more meaningful, he would appear in them and tell her._

_ After exiting the fox-man's house, Daniel stood still and focused on Dutch. His energy, he envisioned, was more like a conglomerate of colors – like a soldier's camouflage uniform. After a moment he sensed the energy, it was much stronger than his sister's and it was understandably angry. He was able to easily follow it to a long building with twelve doors on the front. He stopped at door number eight. It was locked, but that was no matter to him since he was spirit-walking. He focused on the man on the other side of the door, and a moment later stood before Dutch. Dutch was curled into a tight ball on a pile of old and moldy hay; he was using his hands as pillows and shivered from the breeze coming into the room from the outside. The night air, Daniel had noticed, was somewhat chilly for a late summer's eve. But this was no surprise to him in this village. The leader of this village was playing with the worldly barriers – the invisible and powerful walls that separated each world from one another to provide full stability and safety of a world and the dimension it was in._

_ The walls were slowly being stripped and pulled back, as if a person was taking a loose strip of wallpaper and peeling it from the walls. If this action continued, the real world would start having difficulties. More natural disasters, strange weather patterns, and new and old creatures alike would begin to reveal themselves to human kind. Daniel wouldn't have been surprised if some of the monsters people reported seeing around the world were remnants of this village's leader. Perhaps he had a powerful shaman or a wizard open this world's worldly barrier to bring across treasure, monsters, and without a doubt, power. This man was power hungry. His energy was cold and hard like steel and sent shivers up and down Daniel's spine. This man was pure evil._

_ Daniel heard Dutch mutter something and a flash went through his mind. His heart fell to his stomach as sadness for Kristiana began to fill his entire being. For the love of his sister's life was not from this world either. He was from a different world and a different time. For the name Dutch was nothing more than an alias. The energy of "Dutch" revealed itself to be the one and only "Robin Hood."_

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Kristiana awoke the next morning to her stomach churning, and to the feeling she was going to be sick to her stomach. She stumbled out of bed and towards the bathroom with a hand over her mouth. The dream she had kept swirling in her mind, her brother had come to her so many messages. However, the two that she remembered the best were: she was with child and Dutch…..Dutch was alias. But…That was impossible. She had met his parents! His name was Dutch! He was part of the FBI for freakin' sake! The FBI would not hire _anyone_ without a background! Would they? No, they wouldn't. They had to screen people, make sure a person's history actually checked out and wasn't some grand hoax or something.

Kris made it to the toilet a second later and groaned as the previous night's dinner returned. After she had finished, she wiped her mouth and stumbled over to the sink. She was pale, the pink in her cheeks had faded away, and her eyes looked exhausted. She knew this was only because of the way she was feeling, in a few minutes she would be back to normal. Kris paused for a moment, what could pregnant women eat? Saltines and sprite was what her mother had lived on for the first three months, when she was pregnant with Daniel and Kris.

"Kristiana?" Basta asked as he walked into the bathroom rubbing his eyes. He hit the doorframe and cursed before turning towards her, "What's wrong?"

"Basta, have you ever heard of a pregnancy test?"

"Yes, Capricorn keeps them around here….Why?"

Kris looked towards her husband, "Because I need one….I missed my last uh…_Thing_…And now I'm sick to my stomach."

Basta stared at her for a moment, a blank expression on his face, "Thing?"

"You know…._The Thing_," Kris replied. Gosh damned it! Why did her husband have to be so freaking superstitious?

Basta continued to give her a blank stare.

"The woman's monthly cyc-"

"That thing!" Basta replied, "So missing it means…."

"Missing it and the way I'm feeling right now probably means that you're going to be a daddy."

He nodded with a perfectly calm expression, "Ah yes, I'm gonna be a daddy…." He paused and his eyes suddenly widened, "I'm going to be a daddy?" When Kris nodded, Basta's eyes narrowed, "Oh shit…" he replied softly before falling to the ground in a dead faint.

Kris stared at her unconscious husband for a long moment. Wasn't it the woman who should be freaking out? She sighed, like her mother said: There were certain things a man could never handle, and pregnancy was one of them. Kris rolled her eyes, "A lot of help _you_ are, Basta." She stepped over her husband, quickly showered (and kept swallowing to keep herself from throwing up again), brushed her teeth, dressed, and went to find Mortola.

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Dutch was hurtled to Capricorn's church's floor by Flatnose and Cockerell. He really hated being treated like a piece of trash. For the last three days he had been treated like this: dragged from that little hole of a cell he was confined in, thrown to the floor before Capricorn's feet, and was given jobs that even the maids cringed at doing. Yesterday he had to clean out the village's pig pen and had found extremely disturbing evidence of the fact that Capricorn and his men were killing people in this area.

He looked up and to his surprise standing beside Capricorn's chair was Basta. Basta was beaming from ear to ear with his chest puffed out like a rooster.

"Signor Moorsey, Basta here has some exciting news for you," Capricorn said softly as he traced his lips with his small finger. A habit that Dutch was finding very annoying. He had to admit, this village had a strange and yet familiar feel to it, a feel that reminded him of home. How badly he wished someone would call him Signor Loxley.

"What exciting news? Did Basta find another disgusting chore he wants me to complete while wearing my badge around his neck for 'good luck'?" Dutch sneered as he pushed himself up onto his feet and glanced at the two tables to his left. The maids were cleaning up crumbs and whispering amongst themselves, until the old magpie yelled at them to be quiet. There was to be no whispering in Capricorn's presence.

"No," Basta rasped with a smile, "Kristiana is pregnant."

For a moment the words seemed to brush past him without a single reaction. Then after Dutch repeated the sentence in his head twice, Kristiana is pregnant, that anger snaked its long tentacles through him. That bastard was having a child with the woman Dutch loved! He snarled at Basta, he wanted to attack the little fox and rip his throat out. It wasn't enough that the knife wielding maniac had wed and raped his girlfriend, now he had impregnated her!

Dutch took a deep breath; no he would not lunge and attack Basta….Not yet anyway. He'd wait for that, when they were alone and some natural disaster – such as boulder smashing and flattening him – could take the blame.

"You can restrain your anger from clouding your judgment – a talent Basta has yet to possess." Capricorn smirked as Basta frowned and lowered his head as if he had just been scolded. "But then again, I suppose I should have expected that Signor…..Loxley."

Dutch looked up so quickly that the bones in his neck cracked. He stared at Capricorn wide eyed. He had never told anyone, not even Kristiana, of his true identity! How could she believe the man she loved so dearly was from the medieval ages, the time of the crusades, in England? He could still remember the day as clearly as if he were reliving it now. He had been running from the sheriff, after stealing a leather pouch filled with money, and had run into a brothel. The women there had provided him with a long and heavy cloak to conceal his identity. Just as the Sheriff stepped into the room a bright light nearly blinded him and he found himself standing on a giant torch of a blue lady with a sharp and pointy crown on her head. He later learned that he was standing atop the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island, in a country called America. A country he had never heard of before.

He had been lucky that a government agent, Lucinda, had taken him in and taught him all he needed to know about America.

_"You can't go around telling people your Robin Hood or Robin of Loxley! They'll throw you into a mental hospital! A place for disturbed people. From now on your Dutch Moorsey from Orlando, Florida. You moved to Georgia for a quieter life, away from Mickey Mouse and tourists."_ Lucinda had exclaimed.

Dutch had been in this world now for almost nine years, and three years after meeting Lucinda he had met Kristiana. In fact, he had met Kris when he was about to kneel down and propose to Lucinda. Kristiana had been his waitress, back then she was in college earning her business degree. He wasn't sure what about Kris caught his eye; the exotic look of her? (He had never seen a person with such high cheek bones and such a broad forehead before.) Or perhaps it was her hair of fire and shining eyes with mystery? The next day he had returned to the restraint and began speaking to Kris, the more he learned, the more he loved her. And now Kristiana was being taken from him. Just as his world and Marian had been stolen out from under his feet.

"Basta, take _Robin Hood_ here to my house. For tonight you, he, and Kristiana will be joining me for dinner. I think this would be far more entertaining than a card reading….Yes, much more entertaining my birthday…" He smirked.


	10. Dutchs Identity Revealed & The Twister

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters. I do not own Robin Hood. I do not own the crocodile that ate Captain Hook.**_

_**(A/N: Hi everyone, thank you all so much for all the great reviews and putting my story and me onto your favorite author/story lists! :-D)**_

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"_**Between the idea and reality…Falls the shadow." -T.S. Eliot, the Hollow Man, 1925-**_

Kris set the porcelain water pitcher down on Leigh's bedside table after she finished pouring warm water into a matching bowl. Capricorn's village only had two power lines: one directly to his house, and the other to the kitchen and to Basta's house. Every other house either had a generator or depended on heating water up in a cauldron over a fireplace. Leigh's house wasn't equipped with electricity or a generator, so as many others did, she depended on the good old fireplace.

"How are you feeling?" Kris asked softly as dipped a cloth into the water, wrung it out so it wasn't dripping wet, and began to bathe her friend's arms.

"Horrible," Leigh replied with a grimace as she slowly sat up. "My stomach hurts terribly and everything I eat I throw up. When I stand I feel as if your husband's knife is in my side."

"I'm so sorry," Kris said as she dunked the washcloth into the water again. Leigh's pregnancy was beginning to concern her more and more, but each time she requested to see Capricorn of the matter the men would turn her away. She fully intended to speak to Basta when he came out of Capricorn's home. Leigh needed to see a doctor, a good doctor. She didn't trust the one Capricorn had hired; Kris had a suspicion he was a mob doctor since carried old instruments, few antiseptics, and had no modern medical technology. _Or maybe he was read out of a book too. Great, just what Leigh needs, a fictional doctor!_

"Fulvio was here about an hour before you and said you're pregnant!"

"News really travels around here fast," Kris commented. "I just found out this morning after Basta got a pregnancy test for me."

Leigh managed to give her a small smile, "Are you happy and excited?"

"Well….I'm happy, I've always wanted a baby….Excited, not so much."

"Why not?" Leigh questioned with a frown as Kris stood and began closing all the curtains. When no prying eyes could see in, she helped her friend undress and carefully finished the sponge bath.

"Chin up," Kris exclaimed after a few minutes of silence. Leigh raised her head and Kris washed under her chin and her neck.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"Because….This village is not a place for a child. Especially not a baby. All I can see happening is Basta or one of the men getting extremely angry, seeing our babies, and throwing them."

Leigh shuddered, "Oh thanks a lot, now I'm going to plagued with nightmares about my unborn child's future well being."

"Sorry."

"No, it's a good point," she replied as Kris helped her into a clean pair of pajamas. Since she was bed ridden and pregnant, Capricorn had decided to change the dressing rules for her. Kris had gone into town and picked out the three pajama sets; the one Leigh was now dressed in was a light lavender color with tiny flower patterns embroidered into the shirt. Around the color and the bottoms of the sleeves were three rows of ribbons that had been woven into the fabric. The top ribbon was baby blue, the second was the largest and white, and the third was pink. The pants were light and breathed easily, helping to keep Leigh cool during the summer. They were striped white, blue, pink, and lavender.

Leigh paused as she slid back under the covers, "Do you ever miss America?"

"All the time," Kris replied with a small smile. "When we get out of here one day, I'll take you there."

"That sounds wonderful," Leigh beamed, "I've wanted to visit New York since I was a little girl. Everyone always says how magical it is. Have you ever been over the Brooklyn Bridge?"

"Just once," Kris recalled, "I was about 13 or 14, and my mom wanted to take Daniel and I somewhere special that wouldn't remind us of dad. So she took us to New York since that's where her great-grandfather met her great-grandmother. Her great grandfather was a newsboy named Sage, and her grandmother was a circus performer called Moon Lilly. They met in Central Park."

"Central Park, is it as beautiful as the books say?"

"It is when the police are around," Kris replied. "When we were there, all we heard about was crimes and mugging. But, overall, yes it was gorgeous."

"What about Newspaper Row?"

"Well, it's no longer called that, but bits and pieces of it are still there. Outside a newspaper office there's plaque dedicated to the newsies."

"The newsies," Leigh's face began to glow beet red, "I saw the Disney movie about them. The boy, Spot Conlon, he was….You know…" She giggled and blushed.

"Hot?"

"Oh yeah," Leigh beamed. The two friends' happiness was cut short when Leigh's front door flew open and Flatnose stepped in. He had a snarl on his face which caused him to look more foreboding than usual.

"Capricorn wants to see Kristiana right now," he barked. "There's to be no card reading tonight! For that accursed American Government man!" He turned and stomped out of the house, reminding Kris of an overgrown pouty boy who just had his favorite dump truck toy taken away.

"I guess they really like their card readings," Kris said, shocked.

Leigh gave a small laugh, "Oh they love card readings. Flatnose especially, he always wants to know when he'll be allowed into the competition. I don't think he will ever be permitted to participate since he has such an advantage over the others in height and muscle."

"I better go see what Capricorn wants, 'musn't be tardy now,'" Kris said in a mock English accent as she mimicked early 19th century teachers. The two women giggled before Leigh called out to her.

"You weren't meant for Basta!"

Kris spun, "Huh? What do you mean?"

Leigh opened the curtain above her bed and shouted to Flatnose, "Kris will be along in a minute, she is throwing u-"

Flatnose's voice grunted in disgust, "Don't tell me that! Tell her she has five minutes!"

Kris returned to the small wooden stool beside Leigh's bed with raised eyebrows. What did Leigh mean she hadn't been meant for Basta? And why didn't she tell her this sooner?

Leigh looked back at her, "I'm so sorry, Kris. I meant to tell you earlier, but….I didn't know if I should or not, and now I think I have too. The competition this year was thrown…ah…rugged?"

"Rigged?"

"Yes, that's the word!" Leigh replied, "Rigged." She bit her lip, "Have you ever met the man named Ares?"

"You mean the pale man with blonde hair and green eyes? I've seen him and none of the men seem to like him much, but they respect him and always bow."

"There's a reason for that, he's Capricorn's son. When you brought into the village you were barely conscious and you were bleeding….From….Um…." Leigh blushed and glanced down at Kris's legs.

"That was Cockerell's fault," Kris muttered, "Dustfinger told me."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I was hoping you'd never find out," Leigh frowned. She played with a loose ribbon on her pajama top's collar as she continued her story. "Anyway, you were conscious, I think, somewhat….But you kept muttering threats and curses to them. Ares saw you and said you were the most beautiful and gutsy woman he had ever seen. Capricorn, from what I've been told by Resa – she can't talk by the way she writes everything down – Capricorn was so pleased to see his son was finally attracted to a woman enough to settle down that he ordered five of the black jackets to rig the competition. No one expected Basta to win, since he always loses, but he won. But….Capricorn may be calling you to his house to end your marriage to him….I've been hearing from Brenna that he's been thinking about it, but seems reluctant since Basta is so loyal to him and loyalty 'must be rewarded'."

Kris stared at her friend, completely stunned. The longer she was in this village the more she felt like some prized jewelry box or other treasure that was nothing more than a mere possession. She was getting sick of the feeling and escape looked better each and every day. She had to find a way to free Dutch, get Leigh, and run!

Leigh suddenly pulled her forward and as if reading her thoughts, she whispered, "If you want to escape you must hurry. I suggest you do it tonight, when all the black jackets are drunk. Take your man Dutch and don't look back – _just run_!"

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Leigh's tale kept spinning through Kristiana's mind and the more she went over each and every word that Leigh had spoken, the more the itch to escape wanted to be scratched. She needed to get out of this village. Maybe the FBI could come and free Leigh and the other women and a psychologist could help Brenna escape Capricorn's brain washing?

"There you are," Basta rasped with a smile, "I thought we might have lost you….And that wouldn't be a good thing what so ever," he hooked his arm around her waist and drew her to him. "Capricorn has invited us to dine with him for dinner, he's even invited Dutch."

Kris jerked her head towards Basta, shocked. Her eyes were wide and she wasn't sure if her heart could take much more surprise. This village and its inhabitants reminded her of a Sherlock Holmes' mystery where every twist and turn provided a new clue that revealed an entire story waiting to be discovered.

"Dutch…..Is here?" She asked, forcing herself to sound indifferent. Basta already knew she loved Dutch, but if she showed it too much she had no doubt her jealous husband may kill him.

"Oh yes…._Dutch_ is here," Basta replied with a malicious grin that sent shivers up and down Kris's spine. Oh please God, don't let them kill Dutch! She stepped through the house's threshold with Basta and past the old and rotting wooden staircase towards a large dining room which contained a rectangular table that could hold up to seven people. Dutch was seated to the left of Capricorn and dressed in a Robin Hood costume, complete with the light green tights and brown shoes that curled at the tips. He glanced at her and quickly looked away and down as if ashamed. Kris wasn't sure if she should have been hurt of curious.

"Ah, Kristiana," Capricorn smiled with the same grin Basta had on his face, only his seemed more evil. Then again, everything about Capricorn was more evil than Basta and all the Black Jackets combined. "Welcome to my humble abode. I hear congratulations are in order, you too are with child!"

From the corner of her eye, Kris noticed Dutch had curled his hands into fists. A sneer was on his face and looked ready to kill. She glanced back up at Capricorn, "Thank you, Capricorn sir," she replied as she bowed with Basta to him.

"Please sit and get comfortable," Capricorn said softly as Basta pulled a chair out for Kris. She smoothed her skirt and sat down in a rickety wooden chair and found herself seated directly across from Dutch. Something was going on and she was becoming increasingly concerned by the minute. Why was her boyfriend dressed up like Robin Hood?

"Kristiana, my dear, this dinner is my birthday dinner, the most important dinner of the year," Capricorn exclaimed. "But you see, I learned a dirty little secret, and I am willing to put my day aside for this. Kristiana, Dutch has something he wants to say to you."

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Dutch swallowed and looked over at Kris. Her left eyebrow was raised in curiosity, but he could see the concern shining in her eyes. She looked worse than she had when he had seen her two days ago. She was pale with darker circles under her eyes. This village was killing her. He was certain it was doing the same to him as well.

He swallowed as Basta glared at him. He noticed the shorter man was slowly reaching for his knife while Capricorn simply stared at Dutch, waiting for the huge reveal that would change everything. Dread gathered into Dutch's stomach, he didn't want to tell Kris! She despised liars and he wasn't certain if she'd ever forgive him.

"I…." He paused, "I'm Robin Hood." He looked slowly up at Kris to see a look that was more confounded than it was angry.

"Huh?" She asked.

"He's Robin of Locksley, Robin Hood!" Basta beamed. "See here, he was read out of the book by that damned stumble-tongue Darius. He wound up in America!" He tossed the book onto the tabletop.

Dutch watched as Kris grimaced before taking the book by Howard Pyle and studying its cover. She looked at the medieval painting on the cover, then back at him. Dutch, rather Robin, could still recall the exact day that painting had been painted. He had just rescued a young girl from the creek and her father, a poor artist, painted the portrait insisting that Robin Hood's memory live on 'forever in words and images.'

"It looks like him….But I've been said to look like Lady Marian, it's just a coincidence," Kris replied softly, obviously in denial.

"Open the book," Capricorn replied softly yet his tone left no room for disobeying or arguing. Robin watched as Kristiana slowly opened the book to a dog eared page and stared at the painting of Marian. Next to it were the words 'Forever thine heart shall be yours, m'lady of the twilight.' The line had been taken out of most books, as the painting had as well, but there was only two first editions of the books still out. He watched as Kris swallowed and her brown eyes glazed with tears.

She placed the book back on the table, "Fine."

"Fine? Are you not upset?" Capricorn questioned.

"He had his reasons….." Kris replied with a shaky tone of voice. Robin glanced down feeling like a garden slug: slimy and dirty.

"Kristiana, I'm so sorry."

Before she could reply, Cockerell ran into the house and looked as if his feet were on fire.

"What is it?" Capricorn snapped, "You know never to come into my house in this manner!"

"I apologize, Capricorn, but men and women from the 'FBI' are heading towards our village! They are asking about him and Kristiana."

Robin was happy for a split second that Lucinda and the others had finally arrived, yet he also felt guilty and doubted that Kris was ever accept his proposal now.

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'Jacopo' peeled off his face mask revealing the face of FBI Special Agent Byron Meyers. He had learned of the village the day after Dutch had left, and after Daniel told Lucinda of his vision of Dutch being captured, she sent Byron in. He was now standing atop a hill over the village as Lucinda walked towards him.

"Are they in there?"

Byron nodded, "They are. That guy who runs the village, Capricorn. He's a nut case!"

"As most cult leaders are," Lucinda replied. "How are Dutch and Kristiana?"

"Kristiana isn't so good. One of her captors raped her then the man she was forced to marry did the same and now she's with child."

"Damn, that poor woman. How is Dutch?"

"Hangin' in there, though Capricorn made him dress up like Robin Hood," he snorted. He was surprised to see his boss's face go pale. "What?"

"N…Nothing," she replied with a rapid shake of her head, "We need to get Dutch and Kristiana out of there now."

"We can't go in shootin'! There's kids in that village!"

"I know…."

"FBI man and lady."

Byron spun towards the voice and found himself staring at a vagabond with a horned martin on his shoulder. A martin with horns? Weird.

"That's Dustfinger," he explained to Lucinda, "He's on our side….I think."

The blonde performer nodded, "I am. I overheard Cockerell speaking to Capricorn and the Black Jackets…" At seeing Lucinda's confused look, "The name of Capricorn's men, are circling the village with guns. Their deadly accurate and some of the men shooting at you are mere boys, the youngest is eight."

"Dear God," Lucinda whispered, "Children! That monster!" She curled her fists.

"However," Dustfinger continued, "Capricorn sent me up here to avoid bloodshed. He says if you're willing to leave with only Dutch he will pretend you all never set foot onto his property."

Lucinda snorted as she placed a hand on her hip, "Oh? And who does he think he is? The President? I don't think so."

"Please," Dustfinger exclaimed, "Listen to me. If you only take Dutch, I can go into Basta's house and take Kristiana and bring her to you."

"What of the children and innocent men and women?"

Dustfinger lowered his head, "I don't know."

Byron jumped nearly ten feet high, "Run for the hills!" He shouted as a giant tornado began twisting from the sky and heading towards them.

"What on Earth?" Lucinda gasped in surprise.

"Capricorn must have had Darius read out of the Wizard of Oz!" Dustfinger exclaimed and was surprised to see Lucinda didn't look skeptical or confounded. Maybe she was a silvertongue?

"Fine!" Lucinda shouted as she began running, "Bring us Dutch and bring us-" her sentence was never completed and never would be. In mere seconds the huge twister sucked up the all the FBI agents, minus Byron, and with little doubt would deposit them atop the wicked witch of the East, South, or whatever she was. There were too many witches in that story, as far as Dustfinger was concerned.

"Lucinda!" Byron shouted, his heart galloping and racing. Two hands suddenly went down on his shoulders and Dustfinger was staring at him.

"Stop," the fire eater exclaimed, "They're alive, they're in Oz. That's where that tornado is from. They're alive. I know someone who can rescue them. Right now we need to focus on getting Dutch, Kristiana, and Leigh out of there quickly and quietly by tonight."

"Why tonight?"

"Because Capricorn is angered with Fulvio, and he intends to feed Leigh to crocodile that ate Captain Hook."

Byron stared at Dustfinger with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open, "Come again? You gotta be kidding me?"

"No. I'm not. There is a price to pay when you disobey," Dustfinger grumbled. "That's the first lesson every black jacket learns….And even if Fulvio hadn't disobeyed Capricorn, he'd probably still feed that poor woman to the crocodile. She's no longer useful to him since the baby without a doubt won't survive and Leigh herself is bed ridden."

"So Capricorn feeds people to that crocodile without a care in the world?"  
Dustfinger gave a nod.

"Why? She's an innocent woman!"

Dustfinger shrugged, "Innocent or not, she's not carrying her bulk of the work. Capricorn has no patience for weaklings."


	11. Escape & I hate you Basta

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters, I only own Kris, Jacopo, Byron, and Dutch. **_

_**(A/N: Thank you all again so much for all the great reviews! :-) I thought it was time I make Kris "more human" by having her finally break down in this chapter. But don't worry, everything will be fine with her and Basta, in the next chapter she's going to surprise everyone including herself.)**_

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Dustfinger looked from left to right as he entered the village with Byron. Everyone was staring at Byron oddly, trying to place his face; they didn't realize that he had been the black jacket Jacopo. A fearsome figure who loved to set things ablaze. Guilt was beginning to make Dustfinger's stomach tighten, a feeling which Silvertongue described as butterflies in the stomach. He glanced down at the cobblestones and shoved his hands in his pockets as he flashed back to when "Jacopo" first entered the village.

_The tall Italian man bowed before he turned and followed Cockerell out of Capricorn's church. Dustfinger knew the man was the kind of person Capricorn wanted for one of his men: Blood thirsty, vile, loved to set fires, and greed was his middle name. The only odd thing that Dustfinger noticed about him was his accent, it sounded forced; sometimes it almost sounded like Kristiana's. _

_ "That man…" Capricorn started as he tapped his fingers on the golden arm rest of his chair, "That man has potential….However, something too good to be true is usually fake. Dustfinger, follow Signor Jacopo, if that is indeed his name, and learn all you can about him. See who he _really_ is, and when you find out report it to me immediately….Then bring him to me, he will be taken to the crypt…My crocodile is always hungry after all and it needs nourishment."_

_ Dustfinger grimaced; he didn't want to bring this man to his own execution._

_ "I will give you this incentive Dustfinger, if you bring this man to me and do as I tell you: I will have Silvertongue read you back into that silly book from which we came from. That is, if you find him," Capricorn exclaimed and raised his eyebrow._

_ "I will find him…." He paused and watched as the church doors swung closed. Guilt pierced his heart, but he wanted to go home so badly to Roxanne and his daughter. "…I will follow Jacopo….And I will see who he truly is and out I find out, I will bring him to you."_

_ "Good, now see how easy and rewarding it is to be one of my men? Basta here will tell you: If you remain loyal to me and do what you are told, the path for you will be smooth….And your life expectancy is much longer."_

Now, a month later, here was Dustfinger leading FBI Agent Byron Meyers to his death….He would be going to the same place poor Leigh would be going too within a few short hours: Straight to the Crocodile's stomach. He stopped in his tracks causing Byron to bump into his back.

"What'd you stop for? I know the way," the FBI Agent exclaimed.

Dustfinger shook his head and turned, "We need to get you and Leigh out of here now."

"Huh? I gotta get Dutch-"

"Robin Hood is safe, I assure you," Dustfinger replied softly. "Capricorn would never kill him...He's too valuable. I wasn't….Bringing you to Capricorn to free Robin….Dutch, whatever you want to call him."

"What are you sayin'?" Byron asked with a raised eyebrow as his hand slowly reached towards his service weapon, which was in a holster strapped to his right leg.

Dustfinger cleared his throat and said quickly, "You were to be delivered to the crypt, for Crocodile Food." At seeing Byron's face slowly contort in anger, Dustfinger held up his hands. "I'm not bringing you there, I can't. We need to get you and Leigh out of here right now."

"And just how the hell do you expect to do that now that everyone's seen my face?"

"They don't know your Jacopo," Dustfinger coughed.

"Think I don't know….That…" Byron paused and a smirk made its way across his face. "You got something up your sleeve."

"Yes, I do." Dustfinger exclaimed as the two walked into an alley way together, "Do you still have the mask and the costume?"

"I do. Why?"

"You, Dutch, Kristiana, and Leigh are leaving this hell hole, that's why."

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Kristiana's head was spinning: The man she loved had never been Dutch Moorsey, he was Robin Hood! The Prince of Thieves! She wrapped her arms around her chest and paced in front of her and Basta's house. Her eyes were stinging with tears as heart felt as if it had just been stabbed. All couples had secrets and it was a part of a relationship she sometimes felt necessary to have (such as one individual hiding a surprise birthday party from the other, little secrets like that). But your boyfriend hiding the fact that he was Robin of Loxley, better known as Robin Hood….She understood why he hid the secret from her: Months ago she would have never believed him….heck, she would have shipped him off to a looney bin!

Throughout the entire meal, Kristiana had held back her tears, it had been difficult but she managed. That was all that Capricorn and Basta had wanted to see, they wanted to use her to break Dutch….And use Dutch to break her. She took a deep breath and wiped her jacket sleeve across her eyes and cheeks to wipe away her tears. She didn't want Basta to see her cry, no one would know that they had hurt her….She would talk to Dutch…Robin…Whatever the hell his name was and they would work things out.

"Kristiana!"

Kris jumped and turned and raised her shoulders in defense as her face revealed fear at the figure that stood before her, Jacopo.

"Kristiana," Jacopo said as he walked forward, he held his hands out and said softly, "It's ok." His hands suddenly lit with fire.

"Dustfinger?" Kristiana whispered in amazement.

He nodded, "Jacopo was never real. He was Dutch's partner in disguise; he was coming here to help save you and Dutch. He's dressed like me and he's freeing Dutch. Follow me to Leigh's, she's in danger, Capricorn plans to feed her to the crocodile."

"Capricorn has a man eating crocodile?" Kris asked wide eyed, "If I had known that I would have held my tongue more often," she grumbled.

"C'mon!" Dustfinger replied, "Hurry before Basta and the others get back. They ran out of rope and their down at the hardware store buying it and lumber."

"L…Lumber, what for?" Terror rose in her heart, something was wrong. There was something else Dustfinger wasn't telling her.

"Come on, now, Kris."

Kris charged after the fire eater, grabbed hold of his arm and spun him. She glared at him and squared her shoulders in confidence and authority instead of fear, "No. What. Is. The. Lumber. For?"

"You don't want to know."

"Tell me now or…"

"Or what, Kristiana? You'll stay here while your friend is fed to a hungry crocodile?"

"No- JUST TELL ME!" She shouted, getting the attention of several maids. She blushed and quickly covered, "JUST TELL ME WHERE MY HUSBAND IS YOU LUNATIC!" The maids all looked away, quickly losing interest now that the topic of their 'argument' was Basta.

Dustfinger grabbed her arm and dragged her along quickly towards Leigh's house, "Every year for Capricorn's birthday they tie two people to a stake and burn them. This year Dutch….Was supposed to be the person tied to the stake."

"You said two people."

Dustfinger stopped in the alleyway just outside of Leigh's house and turned to face her. "Haven't you wondered why Basta treats you so well? And why Capricorn allows you to get away with so much? Basta wanted a wife, and he got one. However, the rule is for a burning is that there must be a man and a beautiful woman; the only two other beautiful women in this village are Brenna and Resa and Capricorn is much too fond of them. You're it, Kristiana, you're to burned at the stake at midnight."

Kristiana slapped her hand over her mouth in horror and shook her head as her free hand went over her stomach to protect her unborn baby. "No…No….Basta would never….He'd never agree to that." She shook her head rapidly, "No…I…I…Don't….I don't believe that."

Dustfinger stared at her gravely, "He agreed, regretfully, he agreed. That's why they wanted you to know who Dutch really was, Kristiana. You lived together, and you would die together. Believe me, when it comes between Capricorn and you, Capricorn will win every time when it comes to Basta….Every….Single….Time."

"Basta has a child-"

"Basta is a monster, he doesn't care-"

"Basta doesn't care about what?" Purred the cat like voice of Kristiana's husband from behind them. Kris slowly turned to see Basta leaning against the mouth of the alleyway with his arms crossed over his chest, a smirk on his face. "Basta doesn't care about what, Dirty Fingers?"

Kris looked behind her only to see several other black jackets, including Cockerell, blocking the other end of the alleyway. They were trapped. Dustfinger peeled off his mask as his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Basta," Kris whispered, "Is that true what he said? I'm your wife…You wouldn't….Burn me at a stake?"

**

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Basta smirked as he saw the terror on his wife's face; Dustfinger had fallen for it which made it all too convincing for Kristiana. Capricorn didn't burn people for his birthday, he fed them to the crocodile and Kristiana was one of his favorites. He would never harm her. But the Fire Eater didn't know that and wouldn't know that. A younger black jacket had witnessed the little costume exchange between him and "Jacopo" and Capricorn decided to beat the men at their own game. He had sent Basta, Cockerell, and a few others to go and get Silvertongue, now that they knew where he was thanks to the Fire Eater….But told Basta to tell Dustfinger they were doing a special burning; and Kristiana and Dutch would be this year's 'special couple.'

How easily Dirty Fingers had believed him. It was pathetic. Yes, Basta was undyingly loyal to Capricorn, however if Kristiana were to be burned he would hide her. He had to wait too long for a wife. Much too long and he would not lose her so soon. Not only that, but never would he harm a woman with child….It was unlucky.

"You're real gullible, Fire Eater, do you know that?" Basta smirked as he walked over to Kristiana and wrapped his arm protectively around her. The look on Dustfinger's face when he realized he had been tricked was priceless. The frown on his face was pitiful, even the anger in his eyes couldn't mask the disappointment and humiliation shown by his frown.

"Leigh-"

"Is just fine," Basta rasped with a smirk, "Capricorn would never harm such a pretty prize. And I would never allow my wife to be harmed." He pulled Kristiana closer to his side as he turned and began walking out of the alleyway with her.

"Leigh's safe?" Kristiana asked in silent amazement.

"She's safe….For now. If she doesn't recover after this baby is born, then Capricorn will have no use for her and her fate will be the crocodile." Basta replied, he glanced over at his wife and stopped in his tracks. She was crying. He had only seen her cry once, and that had been weeks ago when he first lifted the veil of her wedding dress. "What are you crying for?"

"Gee, Basta! What the heck do you _think_ I'm crying for?" She snapped. "I thought my best friend in this village was going to be fed to a crocodile, I was going to turned into a human piece of wood to burned, my old boyfriend is Robin Hood….What the hell do you think?"

Basta felt his temper soar. How dare she speak to him like that in front of his men! Didn't she know better by now? He raised his hand and slapped her so hard she fell to the ground.

"I hate you!" She shouted up at him, her eyes filled with anger, "_I __**hate**__ you!_ Why can't you just die or something! I _hate_ you!"

For a moment Basta stood there, frozen as the words echoed around the village. I hate you. He blinked as his jaw fell open. He thought he had been making progress; she had been falling in love with him! The black jackets were all gawking at the scene before them, but Basta ignored them for once.

"I hate you!" She screamed at him again, "I hate this entire village! I hate Cockerell for raping me; I hate you for doing the same!" She balled her hands into fists, "I just want to go home with my boyfriend! I love him Basta! I love Dutch, Robin Hood, whatever his name is, I love him! He never treats me like some object to be won in a competition! He never treats me like some animal to be shown off at a horse show! He treats me as a human being!"

Basta hadn't noticed the weather until the moment the words sunk into his heart: I hate you, I love Dutch. In the skies above the gray clouds began to light with electricity as thunder boomed and rain began to fall. At the same time Kristiana began to cry.

**

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Kristiana had done her best to remain strong, but today had been so terrible. She didn't care anymore what Basta did to her. She was finally able to release what she truly felt for him and this village.  
"I'm so sorry Leigh!" She sobbed in a shout, "I'm not strong enough," she hiccupped, "I'm…Just…Not…Strong…Enough…." She wanted to go _home_! To Georgia in America! She wanted to see her brother! She wanted to marry Dutch! She wanted to forget Basta even existed!

"Get up," Basta growled at her.

"Go to – "  
Basta growled at her leaned into her so his foxy face was shoved into her own. She was able to see small reflections of herself in his eyes. Her face was scrunched and swollen from his slap and from her tears. "I said _get up_!" He shouted at her as he grabbed her knife. She whimpered and scooted away from him on the muddy ground before pushing herself to her feet. Basta grabbed onto her wrist and dragged her away so quickly that she was stumbling after him.

"Basta-"

"Shut up!" He shouted at her as he dragged her through the streets. "So you think you're in hell here?"

"From what you all put me through, yes!" She shouted angrily at him. Through her blurred vision she noticed the other prizes before her were all backing away and shrinking as if hoping to make themselves smaller so they wouldn't be noticed. Only Brenna stood there with an '_I warned you, we all did'_ look on her face. Basta continued dragging her until he stopped at Door number Five of the cages; he shoved her inside and chained her wrists to the wall.

He turned and smirked, "You have company now, Silvertongue!" He glared at Kristiana, "When I come back tomorrow your attitude had better improve!" He turned and stalked out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.

Kris watched her husband leave and struggled against the chains; the light switch suddenly flipped on revealing the reason why her husband had suddenly disappeared with Flatnose and Cockerell. Kristiana's book binder, Mortimer Folchart, sat on the other side of the room with a bruise on his forehead. His eyes were wide and filled with concern.

"Kristiana?" He asked softly, "How did you get here?"

Kristiana stared at him wide eyed, "Mo?" She whispered in amazement, "I….I was kidnapped…What about you?"

He looked at her, "The same," he replied softly. As Kristiana looked back up at him a flash of images of Mo went through her head, flashes of men taking a book from him…A woman in a library with her hand over a child's mouth, and a flash of Basta hitting Mo. Her breath caught in her throat….She did have her mother's gift and it had finally awakened. It had been forced to awaken, because now it was time to escape. She would be the good wife again and when she saw the opportune moment, she would get Leigh and she would run. She would run like the wind and never look back….However, very strangely, the thought of never seeing Basta again was making her almost….Sad….It just had to be her adrenaline winding down….It had to be…

As the two were watching each other neither was aware of the fact Byron had gotten away and had returned for Dustfinger, freeing him. However, Dustfinger was going to do more thing for Capricorn: Get the girl and the book. He wanted to go home. For he too was tired of this village, he wanted to go home.


	12. I Can't Help Falling In Love With You

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart, Inkspell or any of its characters, Cornelia Funke does. I own Kristiana, Leigh, and Brenna.**_

_**(A/N: Hey again everyone! Thank you all so much for the great reviews! :-) This chapter is mainly told from Basta's point of view. I wanted to focus a little more on Basta and how he truly feels for Kristiana. I also wanted to show how sometimes he's torn between her and Capricorn. He wants to tell her how much he loves her, but would never dare in fear of Capricorn seeing him as soft hearted. This chapter was a little tricky to write, since it focuses on Basta's point of view. Overall, I think I did a good job. :) )**_

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Basta tugged on the dogs' leashes as he walked the dogs from the large fenced in area he kept them in. Anger still made his blood boil as he and Kristiana's argument replayed itself in his head over and over again. Although he would never admit it to any other black jacket, he felt guilty for slapping Kristiana. He should have been easier with her. Pregnant women were crazy women, he had always been taught this; however, he had never seen this first hand until that afternoon.

_Does she really hate me?_ The thought of Kristiana truly hating him felt worse than the fire that had burned his arms years ago. It was a pain in his heart – a pain he was not familiar with. He had never been one to have a big heart….But since Kristiana came along his heart had been breaking out of its icy shell. Even Capricorn had noticed the other day and had stated, "Basta, I hope you are not going soft on me." _No. No I'll never be soft like those idiots Dustfinger and Fulvio, never._ He swore to himself, he was hard and tough like a rock; he was sharp and deadly like his knife; and he was as fearsome as an angry lion or tiger protecting its leader or mate.

He tugged sharply on the leashes of his trained dogs as he headed down towards the parking lot of the village. His mind was on Kristiana, but now he had to focus on it on the car that was arriving at the village. Dustfinger had disappeared hours ago after being caught; maybe he was actually doing something he was supposed to do for once. Though Basta doubted it; Dustfinger was not loyal and he was a nuisance. But, as Capricorn always stated, he was easy to manipulate and he was expendable. Basta tugged harshly on the dogs' leashes once again, he was getting tired of the beasts constantly lagging behind.

The car stopped just as he reached the edge of the village, where the cobblestones ended replaced by a thin line of tall grass then began with the dented and broken asphalt of the parking lot. He walked over to the car and pressed his face close to the tinted glass, he couldn't see the driver or passengers. He stood and rapped his flashlight against the glass window of the driver's door. He heard a loud thunk from inside the car followed by a woman's voice, when the window was rolled down he grabbed his gun from its holster that was attached to its belt and shoved the barrel of the gun in through the window.

"This is private property!" He rasped, glad his anger from he and Kristiana's argument made him sound more frightening. He glanced down at the driver, some old fat lady with her gray and silver hair tied back into a knot at the base of her neck. In the back seat was a pretty girl child with wide eyes, she looked familiar but he couldn't quite place her. Suddenly Dustfinger leaned forward from the backseat.

"Their with me," he smiled.

Basta rolled his eyes, "Do you have to show up at all hours of the night?" He asked in annoyance. Dustfinger was terrible for showing up at the most strangest times, the only talent of Dirty Fingers' that he and Capricorn envied. "Come on out of there," he grumbled.

Fifteen minutes later Basta stopped in front of cage door number five with a young pimply faced black jacket and their two 'birds', an old fat lady and Silvertongue's daughter. Basta had taken a huge dislike to the fat lady; she was loud, bossy, and downright annoying. All she had done, besides complain, was boss himself and Capricorn around. Free Mortimer, you have the book, I am taking Mortimer and his daughter back to my car and home again, yadda, yadda, yadda….

"What are here for?" The old woman demanded, her hands planted protectively on the child's shoulders.  
"Two you two 'pretty' birds up of course," Basta smirked, his voice whispered off his tongue like the hiss of a snake. He instantly saw fear in the child's face and the old woman slightly recoiled. Terrifying that woman was giving him pleasure, as long as Capricorn allowed her to live he would do his best to strike fear into her heart.

"This is abduction!" The old lady squawked, for the second time that evening, "The police will come! People do not treat others like this!"

"As far as I can see, people in this fine world of yours haven't changed much since the beginning of time," Basta smirked as he opened the door. He glanced back at the teen, "Keep your gun on them!" He snapped before stepping into the room, "Visitors for you, Silvertongue," he smirked, enjoying the silence of the room which was only interrupted by the slight rattle of chains. Basta flicked on the light and found his wife sitting in the same place as he had left her. Her arms were wrapped around her knees and she seemed to have calmed down from that afternoon's rampage.

"Are you ready to be good now?" For a moment he nearly felt he was scolding a young child instead of his wife. She glared at him for a moment, her dark brown eyes still seemed to have a fire in them – only now that fire was not diminishing, and instead it seemed to be strangely growing. He smirked, she was going to be a fine black jacket – as long as she could keep that temper of hers in check and remember who was boss.

"I've been good, for weeks," she replied dryly.

"So I suppose you want to spend another night in here?" He raised his eyebrow. For once, he wished his wife was like the other Prizes: respectful, fearful of their mates, and did whatever was commanded of them. His wife, however, was an entirely different story; since the evening he won her she had been defiant. But then again, that was one of the many things he loved about her: She was a challenge. He could never predict what she would do next, and she always surprised him.

Basta waited for another moment and his patience began wearing thin, and suddenly she spoke.

"I understand this village is home to you….I get the fact you want a wife whose more a brainwashed drone, like Brenna. I understand you hate Leigh, because you see her as weak…her and Fulvio both-"

"Now isn't the time or place," Basta growled.

Kristiana turned her head so abruptly towards him that he jumped. Her eyes were watering with tears, "No! I will have my say! For once and just this once," she growled and when Basta attempted to slap his hand over her mouth she bit him and kicked him away from her. She glared him in the eye, "You have put me through Hell. Even the devil himself would run from this village; and trust me that is no compliment. You treat me like garbage, you slapped me out there, and I think if you had it your way I'd be more mindless than Brenna….Of course that's not her fault, though I highly doubt the whole 'oh I was a beach girl out on vacation' she came from that damned book too. It took me a little while to figure out, but I did. What was she, a Queen? A maiden?"

Basta glanced out of the cage; Flatnose had joined the teen black jacket.

"What's taking so long, Basta?" He almost whined, "I'm getting bit my mosquitoes!"

"Deal with it," Basta snarled before looking back at Kristiana. Every fiber in his being shouted for him to shut her up, make her pay for embarrassing him in front of Silvertongue, the old woman, and the child….But, he couldn't. A place in his chest hurt, he believed it was where his heart was. He felt….Something that many would refer to as….Guilt, he assumed.

He took a deep breath, "She was a Princess… she was the Laughing Prince's eldest daughter. To protect his kingdom from bloodshed he gave her to Capricorn."

"Oh, that explains her attitude problem then," Kristiana muttered before she glared back at him. "So why is it that Fulvio treats Leigh like royalty? Even that black jacket, Alphonse, treats his wife better than you treat me. Why? Do you see much as such trash that it kills you to show me just a little respect? Maybe to see me as a person? You've done it once, that one time a few weeks ago….But never again. Why?"

Basta squared his jaw, deep inside he asked himself the same question. He knew Brenna was nearly insane with jealousy over Kristiana. Because Kristiana didn't have to manipulate people to get what she wanted. Instead, she was always polite, respectful, and kind to everyone….Everyone that showed her respect anyway.

Basta thought about her question for a long moment, _because if I admit how much I love you, you'll be taken from me. Just like everyone, except Capricorn, was. I will not lose you too. My only threat of losing you is that blasted Dutch, though I'll deal with him tonight. I don't give a flying damn if he is Robin Hood!_ He didn't have a good enough answer at the moment, instead he turned and shoved the old lady and the child into the room, then quickly slammed shut the door and locked it. He glanced behind his shoulder to see Flatnose and the kid staring at him.

"Well? Get a move on! Don't just stand there you idiots! Get to your posts!" He barked before heading towards Dutch's cell. Enough was enough. Kristiana belonged to him now and forever. He grabbed his knife from his belt and walked towards door number seven….

* * *

Kristiana leaned against the wall as she watched Mo and his daughter reunite. She was happy for them. She listened as Mo told his story of how Capricorn and Basta arrived in this world. After the story and Elinor and Meggie's questions had ended the topic at hand switched to her.

"Who is she Mortimer? She seems to have caught the fancy of that accursed Basta," Elinor commented while wrinkling her nose.

"I'm Basta's wife," Kris replied softly. She sniffled and wiped her cheeks with her forearm. The tight shackles around her wrists were beginning to hurt and chafe her skin.

"His wife? Well, then, what are you doing in this….Dump?" Elinor questioned as she moved away from her a little.

"Elinor, Kristiana's alright. Meggie, you remember Kris don't you?" Mo smiled, "Remember the woman who used to bring her Shakespeare books over for me rebind?"

"I remember," Meggie replied, "You always had a cup of tea with dad and brought him gifts, Pecans and peaches. You said in Georgia, a state in America, that these were two really good foods." She paused, "You liked my dad a lot."

"Meggie!"

"No, she's right," Kris smiled. "I did like your father a lot, Meggie. But not for the reason you think, he was a friend. I don't have many friends in this country….And….That is on the most part my fault. I just wanted to get this whole banking cultural exchange experience over with so I could go back home and be with my boyfriend, Dutch. He's a…Law officer," she smiled.

Meggie nodded, "I'm sorry Basta's so cruel to you."

"Basta is Basta," Kris shrugged. "I'm just sorry that he treated you, your dad, and your aunt so poorly." She knew why she had half way defended him, though she didn't want to admit it. How could she be falling for the monster who had slapped her, humiliated her time and time again, and treated her like an item? _He's not the same man, he's starting to change..._A tiny voice whispered in the back of her mind. She ignored it. She didn't care if he had changed a little. He'd just revert back to his old self as he had this afternoon. Why go through the pain of giving him her heart when he'd only stab his knife through it? ...But strangely, a large part of herself she was beginning to dislike wanted to be with Basta and when he had left she almost felt like crying. She tried to convince herself that was only because of the way he had constantly sneered at her. But deep in her heart, she knew different...Much different.

"You are day and your husband is night," Elinor exclaimed. "Don't you ever try to get away from him?"

Kris laughed, "That's all I used to dream about, and I still do dream about it sometimes….Though…." she paused, "I…." she shook her head, "Nothing."

"You can't tell me you're falling in love with that monster!" Elinor gasped.

"I keep telling myself I'm not, and I hope I'm not. Because my heart belongs to Dutch."

* * *

Basta opened the door to cage number seven and raised his knife, fully intending to murder the man who had once been his wife's lover – but no more. He plunged his weapon down into the darkness where the man liked to sleep and fell to the floor. Shock coursed through his body causing his heart to skip a beat. He cursed and felt around the dark room for the light switch, finally he found it and turned it on. The room was empty, except for a white piece of paper lying in a stack of hay. He stared at it for a moment and growled. Damn it anyway! He couldn't read!

He slammed the door shut and stomped into Fulvio's house. The black jacket was shocked but Basta shoved him towards the doorway, growling at him to shut up. He shoved the note at Leigh.

"What the hell does it say?" He growled.

Leigh stared at him wide eyed, her face filled with shock and fear.

"What does the damned note say?" Basta nearly hollered at her, his temper once again getting the best of him.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Fulvio snapped as he rushed to his wife's bed side and stood in front of her, creating a wall between Basta and Leigh.

Basta narrowed his eyes, "Get out of the way Fulvio. You won't like what happens to you otherwise."

Fulvio stood his ground, "So what? It doesn't matter; I won't be here tomorrow anyway."

"You've lost your marbles, sure as hell took you long enough. You've always been soft in the heart and the head." Basta growled.

Fulvio sneered, "No, it's you whose soft in the head Basta. You are married to a Seer! She can see into people's hearts and know their feelings and whom they love and hold dear! She saw into my future….Tomorrow I will be replaced by a boy….He's from a book that was written _far_ away from here."

Basta sneered, "You're nuts, my wife is no-"  
"She asked me to ask you who Trista is," Fulvio interrupted. Basta opened and shut his mouth without any sound escaping. Trista had been his first love when he was 15. But Fire Fox had become jealous and the two had fought over the lovely young tomboy which resulted in her death. Fire Fox had accidently pierced her heart with his dagger which he had intended to throw towards Basta.

"She's no one!" Basta shouted as his heart pounded. His wife was a seer. Part of him wanted to run and tell Capricorn of his discovery, while the other half refused. Not even Capricorn could have her this time….He wanted Kristiana only for himself. He glared at Leigh, "What does it say?"

Leigh glared at him, "I win this time, Basta. I'll be back for my girlfriend. Sincerely, Dutch."


	13. Do I Love Him & Treasure & Dutchs Worrys

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters. I own Kristiana, Leigh, Dutch, Reinhold, and Byron.**_

_**(A/N: Hey everyone, thank you all so much again for all the great reviews! They always make my day! :-) This chapter is dedicated to you guys because, like Kris, you're awesome! Also, I found Basta and Kristiana's song; it's called **_**If You Wanna Go by Joy Williams. **_**I have the link to it up on my profile page under story updates if you all want to hear it.)**_

_**

* * *

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The next morning came bright and early and with a surprise to Kristiana, sometime during the night her wrists had been freed from their shackles. Lying in the hay beside her was a small velvet black box with the name "Basta" etched into the lid. For a moment Kris considered leaving it and not looking back, but instead she slowly reached for it. Something in the back of her mind kept saying, _he knows he's done wrong….Give him another chance._ The other half of her kept chanting, _once a killing thief always a killing thief. Go back to Dutch, he truly loves you._ She paused for a moment, had Basta ever told her that he loved her? She wasn't sure.

"What's that?"

Kris looked up to see Meggie scooting across the floor towards her. She glanced over to see Mo and Elinor were still asleep. It wasn't until she had glanced at the tiny hole in the wall with a little sunlight streaming out that a small voice whispered in the back of her head, _Dutch escaped…He is safe._ For a moment she almost thought of herself as crazy, but the memory of her gift finally appearing after all these years caused her to smile. Just like her mother she was a seer, a psychic intuitive. The knowledge that Dutch had escaped made her heart swell with happiness and relief for the man she loved.

"It's a gift Basta left for me."

"Basta was in here?" Meggie whispered as her eyes widened with fear.

Kris wrapped her arm around the girl and pulled her into a hug, "He was. But he didn't harm anyone, he was just being nice."

"Basta can be nice?"

"It depends on the day," Kris chuckled with a smirk, "He's big and scary when he wants to be….But at other times he's a harmless teddy bear." She thought about the other night when she had become sick to her stomach and Basta had stayed up with her holding her in his embrace. She had felt safe, warm, and loved. Another part of her felt guilty as she recalled the memory fondly; she loved Dutch and if she grew feelings for Basta, her abductor, wouldn't that mean she was cheating on the man who had loved her unconditionally for so many years?

"Are you alright?" Meggie whispered as her face changed from curious to concerned.

"You're a very perceptive young lady," Kris gave a small smile, "I'm alright. I was just thinking about my boyfriend, Dutch."

"Oh….I'm sorry."

"Ah, I'm sure he's okay," Kris replied her voice filled with confidence. She turned back to the box and slowly opened it and gasped. On a dark blue jewelry pillow sat a woven golden chain, hanging from it was an angel carved out of turquoise. A tiny piece of paper was tucked in the lid of the box. Kris carefully removed it and unfolded it; she knew the note had not been written by Basta (he could only write his name and this usually took him nearly ten minutes to do). _For my angel. Sorry I hurt you. Didn't mean too. Forgive me? Love, Basta. _

A warmth suddenly enveloped Kris's heart causing her to smile widely as she unclasped the chain and clasped it at the back of her neck.

"Wow, that's pretty!" Meggie beamed, "Was that from Basta?"

Kris nodded.

"I didn't think he'd give gifts," Meggie said in surprise, "He looks too mean."

"I'm just as surprised by this as you are," Kris replied with a smile and studied the small angel. The door suddenly opened causing Mo and Elinor to jolt away, in the doorway stood a fidgeting Cockerell and a bored Flatnose. From Cockerell's body language Kris knew something was wrong, but what?

"C'mon, move it Silvertongue, Capricorn's waiting," he sneered as kept placing his hand on his shotgun, as if expecting to have to use it.

Mo slowly stood, "Cockerell, let my daughter and her aunt go and I'll stay-"

"No one is going anywhere, Silvertongue," Cockerell rasped, he glanced at Kris and tensed. "Kristiana, Basta wants you to get redressed, he left you out clothing, and he says to meet us at the church immediately." When Mo didn't move fast enough, Cockerell reached in and pushed him out. Elinor and Meggie walked out and the two Black Jackets led the small family towards the church.

Kris stepped out of the 'cage' and tucked the angel under her blouse to keep it safe from the black jackets. She was almost to the end of the sidewalk when a small pebble hit her shoulder. She turned and looked to see where it had come from.

"Kris! Kris!" Hissed a voice. She followed the voice and beamed when she saw Dutch and Byron at the edge of forest. Both were hiding behind a large olive tree.

"Dutch! Run! Get away from here!" Kris hissed to him and motioned for him to turn and go. He shook his head and reached his hand out towards her. _He wants me to go with them….But….If I go now I leave Leigh, Mo, Meggie, and Elinor behind….I have to help them. _She thought to herself, another thought entered her mind, _But I want to stay here with my husband._

"Kristiana!"

Kris jumped and looked towards Brenna, who was standing a few feet away with her hands on her hips and tapping the front her foot impatiently on the ground.

"Ah, coming right now, Brenna…" She glanced back towards the forest, Dutch and Byron had disappeared.

* * *

"Why didn't she come over to us when she had the chance?" Dutch growled as he paced back and forth in the small clearing in the forest. An agent who hadn't been taken by the tornado had been lying low until he found Dutch and Byron running madly through the woods last night. Dutch recognized him as Agent Reinhold, a junior FBI agent who was very ambitious.

"For the last time, she didn't have the damned chance!" Byron retorted as he sat down on the log in front of the circle of stones with a pile of ashes in middle. "Capricorn's wife, Brenna, was standing there, and believe me if she saw Kristiana running towards the woods she'd have every black jacket out here."

"And we can't have that," Agent Reinhold exclaimed as he leaned forward to study his laptop's screen. The computer was sitting atop a large metal box that Dutch recognized as a mobile power center. It could last up to a week if always kept on, but if only used rarely it could last up to three weeks.

"Who asked you?" Dutch snarled at the young FBI agent, "She had plenty of time to run towards me!" Why hadn't Kristiana run towards him? A few weeks ago she would have practically ran him over and showered him with hugs and kisses. Now….Now it seemed she was reluctant to even be rescued. "That damned Basta has gotten too far into her head!"

Byron groaned, "Damn it, Dutch! She's pregnant! If a guard mistook her for someone else they could have shot her and killed her and the baby. She has two lives to think about now, not just one."

"I got _Google Earth_ up and running!" Reinhold exclaimed with a large beam as he slapped a mosquito on his elbow. He scratched at his head and the fact that he had once been a marine was obvious by his hairstyle and the tattoo on his right forearm. Dutch walked over and squatted down to the left side of Reinhold, and Byron to the right. All three men studied the laptop screen. Reinhold zoomed in on the village and Dutch was able to see his girlfriend walking through the village in real time. She was walking with Brenna.

Although he could only see the top of her head, he could recognize Kristiana's hair from anywhere: It was as bright as fire.

"What's going on I wonder?"

"Hey we can see, buddy, but we can't hear," Reinhold replied. "We need to see how often the guards are switched, which areas they patrol and how much time between each patrol, and we need to see where your wife is being held. We can spring her and get the hell out of here. A few miles from here we have an old truck we rented."

Byron nodded, "Sounds like a plan. Hey we got any of those tear gas bomb or smoke grenades left over?"

"Yea, five of each, we gotta use them carefully," Reinhold grunted as he pointed to a black backpack. Reinhold was around twenty three; he was muscular and known to be a ladies' man; he had blonde hair and brown eyes; according to some rumors he and Lucinda were more than co-workers, but Dutch doubted that. Lucinda preferred her romantic interests to be at least 2 to 4 years older than herself.

"Dutch, man, Kristiana's fine," Byron assured him. "She's one tough woman, you know her. She's probably gonna rip Basta a new one when she sees him next."

Dutch shrugged, "Yeah….Maybe," he replied half heartedly as he went back to the log and sat down. He was losing the woman he loved, and he was losing her rapidly to Basta. He tried to reassure himself it was only Stockholm syndrome, and after some counseling she'd be fine. _How could she really be "fine" again after all that's happened to her? For Pete's sake she's carrying around the baby of the man who sees her as his property! _

Dutch glanced over after a long minute to see Byron had joined him. His partner was silent, but Dutch smirked and nodded in thanks. His best friend didn't need to say a thing, Dutch recognized the gesture easily. Byron was saying, _I'm here for ya, man._

_

* * *

_

Kristiana had taken a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and redressed into the clothing Basta had left her. She had been surprised to find a black sundress with a crocheted jacket and black sandals. As she walked towards the church she was surprised to see Brenna waiting near the entrance with a large smile on her face.

"You look beautiful!"

"Thanks, I didn't think I was allowed to wear this sort of thing," Kris commented. All the clothing she had bought during her last shopping trip had been put into storage by Basta.

"Pffft, please, you and I can wear anything _we_ want too," she smirked, "It's the perks of being married to powerful men!"

_It's all about power to you, isn't it Brenna?_ Kristiana thought to herself. "It's very comfortable."

"Great, 'cause I had your clothing brought to Basta's house, its being put in the dressers by the maids as we speak. You really should boss them around more and stop helping them – they're going to get lazy." She commented as she flicked her hair behind her shoulder.

"I'll have to do that," Kristiana replied, "Hey, how's Leigh?"

Brenna laughed, "Every five minutes she keeps asking Fulvio if Basta had let you out of the cages yet….Hey there's a rumor going on that Fulvio is going to be read into a book, they said you said it?"

Kristiana nodded, "I saw it in a vision….I'm a psychic intuitive like my mom….My gift just awakened."

"That's awesome," Brenna smiled, "We took your advice and Fulvio is going to be taking Mortola and two maids to the grocery store in the next village over."

"That's good," Kris smiled she was glad that Leigh wouldn't have to worry about her husband disappearing into thin air. Fulvio and Leigh truly loved each other very, very much. Before Leigh had discovered she was pregnant, she and Fulvio had practically been attached at the hip most of the time. The two entered the church together in time to hear Mo reading about treasure and moments later gold coins, gems, swords, a skull, small bugs and insects, an emerald green lizard, and other items began falling to the church floor like rain.

Kristiana watched as Capricorn's men began scooping up the treasure and putting it into bags. For a moment they all stopped and stared at the coins, then back to Mo as if he were an evil wizard. After a command from Capricorn, the men continued scooping up the treasure. At one point Basta threw his knife at the lizard and Meggie had given a small warning cry. The tiny reptile had quickly scurried off into a small hole in the wall. Basta ran over to his knife and pointed it in Meggie's direction.

Kristiana glared at him as she rushed over and took the knife from his hand, "She's a child Basta. She doesn't know any better," she handed him back his knife and glanced in Meggie's direction. She was a very brave young woman, but under the courage Kris could see the fear shining in the little girl's blue eyes. She sent Meggie a small and reassuring smile before turning back to Basta and kissing him.

"Thank you for the angel," she smiled.

Basta smirked and wrapped his arm around her, "I'm glad you like it. I'm s…..s….so…..s…"

Kris raised her eyebrows in surprise; she had never known her husband to stammer. As he continued she realized he was attempting to apologize.

"I forgive you….You forgive me?" For a moment she wondered why she had even asked that. It was him who had one all the wrong doing – kidnapping her, making her life a living hell, trapping her in that tiny room shackled to its wall….For some odd reason she wasn't as mad at him as she should have been. Instead, she was glad to find herself back at his side with his arm wrapped around her. She didn't want to move and she wanted this moment to last forever.

Kristiana's heart skipped a beat when she realized she had fallen in love with Basta….And he with her. A sadness and a feeling of extreme guilt caused her heart ache; she loved Dutch….And he and his partner had risked their lives to come and save her. She shut her eyes for a moment; she needed to bring herself back into reality. Basta had kidnapped her, Basta had been a model of one of the world's worst husbands, he had married her against her will….But for some reason she found herself forgiving him. Was she crazy?

_Now I really need to get out of here, not only to return to Dutch but to return to the state of sanity!_ But, she didn't see herself as insane and she didn't feel insane. If anything, she felt happy, comfortable, and completely at ease. She shifted onto her other foot and wondered if she had been brainwashed. She needed to talk to Leigh, and as soon as she could.

* * *

"….And then Dante just vanished into thin air and this Mideastern boy from _40,000 Thieves_ just fell from the sky and landed in middle of the room!" Kris exclaimed as she handed Leigh the necklace she had scooped up for her. It was made pearls that had been dipped in gold, hanging in middle of the gold dipped pearls was a small ruby.

"Wow! And that could have been my Fulvio if you hadn't had your vision and warned us!" Leigh beamed as she put on the necklace, "Thank you so much for this necklace, I love it! I hope I'm able to keep it." She smiled.

"I talked to Basta about it and he said you could have it. It seems that all the Prizes are being showered with jewelry right now," Kris beamed as she pointed the angel pendant Basta had given her and showed off the golden bangle with a purple sapphire in middle he had given her from the pile of treasure.

"So Mortimer Folchart, your book binder, can read things out of books? And he's the one responsible for bringing Capricorn, Basta, and Dustfinger into our world? And now Capricorn wants him to read out some kind of evil creature?" Leigh asked wide eyed, her voice a little louder with amazement.

"Yup, it reminds me of that Disney ride, _It's a Small World After All_. When I first came to Italy I didn't have any friends at the bank, I couldn't speak Italian, and overall I was _miserable_. I was actually thinking about selling everything I had brought over with me to buy a plane ticket home. It wasn't until I called Daniel and then Dutch that they talked me into staying."

"What did they say?"

Kris smiled, "That I was a strong person and the most stubborn person both of them knew. They reminded me of my love of learning and said if I gave up, then I'd be walking away from learning and from a challenge. I decided to stay. I was still pretty upset though, none of the women at the bank ever truly wanted to talk to me. The woman who had been there from a branch in Kentucky before me had left the day I arrived."

"That's terrible, it sounds like you were so lonely," Leigh frowned. "I don't understand why people snubbed you like that."

"I didn't understand it either until about a month later when they began warming up to me – it was the month the men in black suits came around the bank. Whenever they started coming around each year women from the bank would start disappearing." Kris shrugged. "But anyway, during that month I was trying to find a company that would rebound my mother's bible. All the companies were insanely expensive. In fact, one company charged the equivalent of three of my pay checks! Three!"

"That's crazy!"

Kris nodded in agreement, "I was about to give up and I was having lunch outside of this little restaurant. I had gone to four or five village's book binders and I was pretty much certain I was going to have to wait to return to America before I could get it rebound. That meant wrapping it up in really soft cloth or soft tissue paper and not touching it again for two years. Which I really don't like doing….My mom's bible is really special, it has these really pretty illustrations in them and the bookmark is handmade, it's a crocheted cross."

"It sounds gorgeous."

"It is, I just hope anyone going through my apartment doesn't get their grubby hands on it," Kris scowled. She returned to her story, "Anyway this tall man and a little girl around eight walk up to my table and the man says, 'I overheard you were looking for a book binder.' I replied, 'I am, but their way too expensive.' So Mo replies, 'Well, I'm a book binder and I'd be happy to rebound your book for you for about forty dollars. Or, if that's too much I can lower the price.' I said, 'no that price is perfect! Thanks! Which office is yours?' Then he told me he worked from home, he gave me his address and I went there the next day. He had the entire bible rebound in less than three days. We became friends, though Meggie thinks I was in love with him," she laughed.

"Well….Were you?" Leigh asked with a mischievous smirk.

"NO!" Kristiana replied and tried to ignore the fact that her cheeks felt as if they were on fire.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire!" Leigh laughed, "You were in love with him!"  
"I wasn't in _love_, I had a crush on him." She shrugged.

"Or so you say," Leigh replied with a large smile. After that she paused, "Hey I heard Dutch got away."

"I heard the same news," Kris beamed she leaned forward and whispered, "I'm so glad!"

"Me too," Leigh smiled. "One day Fulvio and I will escape this village as well. He's been working really hard to earn more than a few dollars each day. He found this really cute little cottage in front of the ocean five villages over and he wants us to move there….But I don't know if we'll ever be out from under Capricorn's thumb," she frowned.

"I think one day we all will," Kris replied.

"I hope so, I hope you get to return to Dutch one day too." Leigh studied her friend's sudden flinch and watched as she bit her upper lip. "Uh oh you seem upset? What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Kristiana, you and I keep one another sane. Seriously, what's going on?" Leigh asked as she crossed her arms, "C'mon, tell me. I'm stuck in this bed and other than being able to help you let off some steam I'm not very helpful."

"Don't say that, you're fine!" Kris replied and paused for a long moment. She wasn't sure if she wanted to say what she was thinking and feeling out loud. After all, when speaking something it made it true? Didn't it? She looked up at Leigh, took a deep breath and exclaimed, "I think I've fallen out of love with Dutch and I'm in love with Basta."

Leigh stared at her wide eyed; her mouth had fallen open, "Really?"

"I think so…." Kris frowned. "I think I'm crazy or brain washed."

"I don't think you're either," Leigh shrugged. "It happened the same way to me," she replied softly.

Kristiana looked up, "Really?"

Leigh nodded, "I hated Fulvio at first, even though he was always perfectly kind and sweet towards me. I tried escaping twice and each time he caught me. He kept warning me, 'If Basta catches you trying to escape; there will be hell to pay! You have to stop!' I ignored him and I tried one more time and Basta caught me," she shuddered at the memory. "It was terrifying; he slapped me and called me horrible names. He told Capricorn I was trying to run off to see some secret lover. I was put in the same 'cage' as you were in and shackled to the wall, only I was there for a week. When I was finally let go I just….Did whatever was told of me…..I lost myself, I really did….Then when you came to the village I found myself." She smiled, "All of us prizes, and even the maids, have too. You may not know it, but you being here has really changed the feel of this place – it's not foreboding now."

"I don't think I could change that, it would take a miracle to change that!" Kris replied wide eyed.

"Well, I have news, you _are_ a miracle," Leigh beamed. "You're exactly what this village needed. Even Brenna was starting to get really depressed, and now all she does is talk about you. Even Capricorn likes you, he's still raving about that dinner you made the village the other night."

"Pizza Burgers," Kris beamed with a laugh, "My mom used to make them all the time."

"They were so good," Leigh beamed, "I even saw Mortola digging in like there was no tomorrow!" She giggled. Kristiana laughed as she imagined the magpie like woman digging into the pizza burger and getting tomato sauce and cheese all over her face.

"So…You really think you're in love with Basta?"

Kris nodded, "I do, and it scares me."

Leigh paused, "Give it a few days; it may just be relief to be out of that darned cage. Maybe after escaping you'll feel differently?"

"Maybe," Kris replied, though she doubted it. Which hurt, because she knew one way or another she was going to break Dutch's heart; and the thought of breaking his heart hurt her.

"What are you thinking about?"  
"What if I break Dutch's heart?"

Leigh paused, "You're not fully in love with Basta."

"I'm not? How do you know?"

"Because, if you were, you wouldn't be worrying about breaking Dutch's heart….You probably wouldn't even be thinking of him. That's how I know," her friend smiled reassuringly. "You're sanity is just fine."


	14. Dustfingers Strange Visit & Escaping

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters, they belong to Cornelia Funke. Kristiana belongs to me. I did use a few quotes from the book, the first one is in quotations and in italics. The second has the page numbers after it. :)  
**_

_**(A/N: Hey everyone, thank you all again so much for all the great reviews! Also, a huge special thank you to DimensionalTraveller! She made my story a fanfiction trailer! It's on Youtube, but it can also be found at my profile page! Please check it out! It's so awesome! Thanks, DT!)**_

Kristiana's stomach was in knots as she walked across the village towards her house. One part of her felt guilty by allowing herself to have such strong feelings for Basta; while the other half readily embraced the feelings. _Dutch traveled halfway across the world to find and save me…He risked everything – his job, his home, his bank account….And here I am giving my heart to another man….It isn't right. I love Dutch so much! I love him for who he is, his courage, his kindness, his humor, and heck – I've even learned to love the fact he likes to burp the ABC's! _So why did her heart ache at the thought of being separated from Basta? Why did it hurt to imagine her forced-husband kissing another woman?

_Because you love him!_ Her heart screamed, while her mind retorted, _I love Dutch!_ Kristiana found herself caught between a rock and a hard place. There was only one way out of her predicament, and that was to choose the man she wanted to give her heart too and accept her decision and move on with her life. But, if only walking the walk was as easy as talking the talk.

Kris opened the door to her and Basta's house and gave a small yelp in surprise. Sitting on the end of the bed was Dustfinger. His hands were bright red and swollen and few blisters were starting to form on his palms.

"Dustfinger," she exclaimed and rushed towards him, "What happened?" When she tried to reach for his hand, he jerked away.

"…I finally had my chance to return to my own world," he replied in such a soft voice that Kris had to lean forward in order to hear him. "I brought Capricorn what he wanted: the girl and the book. I even told Capricorn and Basta where Silvertongue was." He paused and glanced at her, Kris guessed he was expecting to see a sneer on her face. Instead, she simply listened; although she didn't agree with what he had done, she couldn't say she wouldn't have done the same. After a moment he lifted his head slightly and pushed some of his hair out of his face, "Capricorn swore he would have Silvertongue read me back into the book, back to my Roxanne," he lowered his eyes, "I should have realized he was lying…As he always does when he wants something. I was so stupid."

Kris put a hand on his back, "You weren't stupid. You were desperate to return home….To return to normal life….And get back whatever sanity you have left."

Dustfinger glanced over at her and gave a small smile, "I sometimes forget, you're situation is similar to mine."

Kris returned the smile and glanced at his hands, "So what happened?"

Dustfinger glanced down at his hands, "Capricorn was burning all the Inkheart Books, I was trying to get hold of a copy….I tried…" he paused, his face contorting with pain and anger, "But Flatnose held my coat's collar, and allowed me just close enough to touch the cover of a burning book."

"We really need to take care of your hands," Kris said softly.

Dustfinger shrugged, "The maids have cleaned them, I applied burn cream earlier. In a few hours they'll be fully healed."

Kristiana's eyebrows arched in surprise, "That's impossible."

Dustfinger smirked, "Perhaps, if I were born in your world it would be impossible. But I'm a fire eater from a magical world – where anything and everything is possible." After a pause he began talking again, "While I was sitting here I was thinking about your husband and his superstitions."

"Oh? If you keep thinking about him like this, I may have to get jealous," Kris teased with a lopsided smirk. Dustfinger chuckled.

"_Basta's constant fear of curses and sudden disaster probably arose from the terror of the darkness within himself….Which made him assume that the rest of the world must be the same_."

Kristiana paused as she listened to Dustfinger's theory, and it made since. Her husband treated everyone as if they would stab him in the back at any given moment. The only person he never treated badly was Capricorn. Kristiana had a feeling though that she too was on Basta's 'do not treat badly' list now. She hoped.

"It explains a lot about him," Kris replied after a long moment.

Dustfinger nodded, "That's what I thought." He paused, "Could you do me a favor?"

"Of course?"

"Tell me which side of the bed you sleep on."

"Pardon?"

"Which side of the…bed do you sleep on?" Dustfinger asked, nodding his head towards the top of the bed.

"Why?"

"I'm going to pull a prank on Basta and I don't want it backfiring on you," he replied.

Kristiana stared at him for a long moment then nodded, "I sleep on the left side. Basta only sleeps on the right side, he believes left is evil."

Dustfinger laughed, "That's Basta for you."

_**

* * *

**_

The sun was beginning to set as Kristiana walked alongside Basta towards 'the cages,' she was carrying a thermos filled with hot tea and honey. The crickets were beginning to chirp their nightly tune as somewhere off in the forest a bird let out an angry cry, while an owl seemed to question everyone's identity, "Who, who?" It seemed to constantly ask for a few minutes.

Kris glanced at the tree line of the forest and felt a mixture of relief and disappointment throughout her when she didn't see Dutch and Byron behind the Olive Tree. She had never gotten the chance to warn them about Coyote; but she had told Dutch the stories her mother had told her. If he ran across Coyote, Dutch would know what to do. Kris's attention returned to her husband as she heard the loud familiar jangle of his keys as he took them out of his suit pocket.

"Well, well Silvertongue," he greeted, "Fine job you did today," he grinned as he took his knife from his belt and rubbed its blade on his white shirt as he stared at Elinor.

Kris walked into the room past her husband and saw Elinor's face become pale as her eyes slightly widened in fear. She glanced up at her and gave a small yet reassuring smile, hoping to send the message, _It's okay, I'm here, I won't let him hurt you._ Elinor seemed to get the silent message since she stopped backing away, but the look of fear remained on her face. Kris smiled as she knelt down and handed Mo the thermos and cups.

"Thank you, Kristiana."

"You're very welcome, it may be rather sweet – "

"Enjoy your tea, Silvertongue," he smirked as he stared at Elinor's face, obviously enjoying the fact he was terrifying her. "Mortola put so much honey in the jug your mouth will probably gum up with the first sip you take, but your throat will be as good as new tomorrow." He reached down and wrapped an arm around Kristiana and gently pulled her to her feet and hugged her close to him. It was as if he were afraid Mo was going to lunge out and grab her away from him.

"Is the boy safe?" Mo asked as he set the thermos down.

"Oh, I think he's next door to you. Capricorn hasn't decided what's to become of him yet. Cockerell will try him out with a little ordeal by fire tomorrow, and then we'll know if he's of any use to us."

Kris looked at her husband wide eyed; the boy who had fallen from the book was little more than a child! She glanced away and remembered that this village was filled with underage black jackets and maids.

Mo looked up and sat up straight, "Ordeal by fire?" His voice was angry and mocking. "Well, you can't have passed that one yourself. You're even afraid of Dustfinger's matches."

Kris watched the calm expression on her husband's face slowly contort into a sneering face, he reminded her of a rattlesnake getting ready to lunge forward towards its prey.

"Watch your tongue!" Basta hissed. "One more word and I'll cut it out, however precious it may be."

"Basta!" Kris whispered to him, "Let's go now-"

He glanced over at her and shook his head a little before glaring at Mo once again.

"No, you won't," Mo commented as he twisted open the thermos and poured the tea into the cups. He offered Kristiana a cup.

"No thank you, honeys upsetting me right now. I don't think the baby likes it very much."

"Maybe not," Basta said in reply to both her and Mo. Then he glared at Mo and his eyes narrowed, "But your little daughter has a tongue, too, and hers isn't as valuable as yours!"

"Basta!" Kris exclaimed, "Leave her alone!"

Mo threw his cup of tea at Basta, a protective look on his face. Basta quickly pushed her out of the doorway and shut the door. Kris listened as the cup hit the back of the door with thunk. She heard it shatter as it hit the floor._ Great, that was my favorite cup too. Oh well, at least it died a noble death – helping to protect a man's daughter._ Kris thought to herself.

Kris watched as a mischievous grin etched across her husband's face, "Sweet dreams, see you in the morning!" (P. 191-192)

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Kristiana groaned as she turned over and wrapped her arms around her aching stomach. She and Basta had been in bed for hours and since dinner her stomach had been hurting. At first she had worried there was something wrong with the baby, and when sharing her concerns with Basta he had quickly gotten up, dressed, and had been getting ready to leave for the doctor's when Kris let out a large belch. Her stomach ache was nothing more than that, a stomach ache. Something she had eaten at dinner obviously hadn't agreed with her. She had a strong feeling it was Mortola's Spaghetti – the old Magpie had probably spilled the entire bottle of Rosemary into the sauce. Basta didn't seem to have any trouble with it; but then yet again, he seemed to have an iron cast stomach.

She turned over onto her back and winced as a sharp pain traveled through her side. She bit back a whimper and wished her mother was alive. She would have given her peppermints to help soothe her stomach. Kris glanced at Basta, he was always chewing on Peppermint leaves, maybe he had a few extra lying around? Before she could sit up to start her search a cloth was shoved over her nose and mouth. Kris shrieked through the bad smelling gag and reached for her husband's hand, wanting to awaken him. Someone was trying to kidnap her! Tears of terror brimmed in her eyes as she grabbed her attacker's wrist and attempted to pull it off her.

"Kristiana!" A familiar voice whispered as a face leaned towards her. In the dim light Kris was able to make out Dustfinger's face. Her eyebrows arched. He gave a small reassuring smile, "I promise everything will be alright," he whispered as her vision began to blur before it finally faded. In her mind's eye she saw a flash of Mo, Meggie, and Elinor running towards a car. _They're escaping….Good…_She thought to herself before passing out. Little did she realize that Dustfinger was joining Mo and bringing Kris with him.


	15. Escape & Dutch & We're Safe

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters, they belong to Cornelia Funke. There are parts of this chapter that I took from the book. :) I do not own Sam and Dean Winchester.**_

_**(A/N: Hey everyone, thank you all so much for the great reviews! And special thanks to Basta's Girl. This chapter is dedicated to xLibertyChicax, who gave me the idea for the opening of this chapter. Also, in this chapter, I do mention Georgia and Florida.)**_

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Basta had been sleeping like a brick when the village's alarm began to howl; he awakened so quickly that his throat became frozen in mid-snore causing him to cough and gag.

"Basta, get up!" Cockerell shouted from the other side of the screened window beside his bed. "Silvertongue has escaped! He was last seen with that Fire Eater," he snarled.

Basta growled, damn Dustfinger! He had been in middle of a nice dream, in which he and Capricorn were back in their own world. Capricorn was beginning to conquer one kingdom at a time: first the laughing prince's, then the ever elusive black prince's, followed by the Adderhead's. In his dream, he had just been about to wrap his arms around Kristiana in joy when the alarm had sounded.

Basta turned over to make sure his wife was alright and jumped at finding her side of the bed bare; atop her pillow sat a few pieces of fur from Dustfinger's stinking marten. Hate swelled in Basta's heart and spread throughout his body. It wasn't enough for Dirty Fingers to have won Roxanne, now he had to have Kristiana too! When he caught that damned Fire Eater he'd use his knife to slice Dustfinger's neck open! _Kristiana belongs to me! Me alone! No one else! Her last name is Basta damn it! She's __**MINE**_. He silently raged in anger as he turned over to grab his knife, at finding his bedside table bare he shouted a loud curse and stumbled out of bed. He quickly dressed and ran towards the village square.

Capricorn stood in his house's doorway, his arms folded behind his back and a snarl on his face. As Basta approached his stomach twisted; he knew Capricorn would be very disappointed with him.

"You _let_ the fire-eater take Silvertongue," Capricorn growled as Basta stopped in front of him.

Basta lowered his head in shame, "I'm sorry Capricorn….I didn't think….He was a broken man – "

"Which makes him even _more_ dangerous, you should have long since known this, Basta. When a man is desperate he will do anything and everything within his power to get what he wants…..I hear from Flatnose that you are now in that position," Capricorn's left eyebrow raised.

Anger and humiliation caused Basta's cheeks to flush. Dustfinger had snuck into his home, somehow got the key off Basta's neck without him ever awakening, _and_ the fire eater had stolen Kristiana out from under his very nose….And the entire time, Basta had slept. The fire eater wouldn't hurt Kristiana; Basta knew that already. Dustfinger would rather die than harm a woman in any way.

"Go find them! Bring them back, and when you find your wife put her somewhere where you will _not_ lose her."

Capricorn's last statement caused the entire village, minus Basta, to erupt in laughter. The magpie was laughing as she returned back into Capricorn's home. Basta couldn't figure out why Capricorn let that old hag live in the same house with him; it seemed unfair. Basta was his best and most loyal and faithful henchman – Mortola was nothing more than a mere old crone and a maid.

Basta nodded and turned, "Flatnose!" He shouted, causing the giant to jump and look down at him wide eyed. "Go to the truck, we're getting back what's Capricorn's and retrieving what belongs to _me_."

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Kristiana was jolted out of her sleep when the car hit a large pot hole in the road. She opened her eyes and looked around, her surroundings were blurry but she knew she was in a car and she was sandwiched in between Meggie and someone else. She blinked a few times until her vision cleared.

"Everything alright?" Mo asked.

Kristiana looked around and Meggie glanced over at her, nodded, and exclaimed, "Kristiana woke up."

"I thought that match-stick eater may have killed you!" Elinor exclaimed from the front seat, "When he carried you out here all I could recall was the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves."

Kristiana blushed, "I'm fine….I think the baby's okay too." She stared at Dustfinger for a long moment, "Why didn't you just wake me up?" When Kristiana had woken earlier to find Dustfinger beside her bed with the cloth over her nose and mouth she had been terrified. He had been more gentle than Cockerell and Flatnose when had kidnapped her weeks ago. They had hit the back of her head to knock her out instead of using a chemical that would simply put her to sleep. None the less, she was sick of being kidnapped, even if it was for a good reason this time.

Dustfinger, who was seated behind the driver's seat with his legs squished in the small space, looked over at her. "If you had walked out of there on your own and a black jacket saw you, that information would have gotten back to Capricorn and Basta. What do you think Basta would have done if he heard you had tried to escape? What do you think Capricorn would do?"

"Basta would be furious, and Capricorn would probably put me back into a cage."

"Wrong," Dustfinger replied. "One of the maids keeps attempting to escape, and because of it she was put in chains. The chains are long enough for her to cook and clean in the kitchen, then return to her room in the basement of the building. But, she's Capricorn's personal maid, and he's very fond her so he's actually being nice."

"I fail to see how that is nice!" Elinor exclaimed as she swerved around another pot hole.

"It's kindness in Capricorn's standards," Dustfinger retorted and looked back at Kristiana. "You belong to Basta, and if you tried to escape he'd chain you to him…And if you attempted to escape again, I don't think Capricorn would show you the kindness he showed the maid. He'd probably send Cockerell to kill you; however, you can be assured that Basta would probably do it – and he'd find a way to make it quick and painless."

"You're scaring Meggie and terrifying Kristiana," Mo snapped from the front passenger seat.

"Good, Kristiana needs to be afraid! The man she's with doesn't love her; she's just a pretty possession. She needs to know that she'll never be safe around him – the only way she will ever be safe is if she returns to that boyfriend of hers and goes back to America."

Everyone in the car went silent for a long moment before Elinor spoke, "Dustfinger, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were in love with Kristiana."

"I'm not," he retorted, "She's my friend and I try to help all my friends."

Elinor snorted, "Oh yes, so I see you do! You especially help them get abducted by a crazy man with a knife!"

Kristiana ignored the argument between Elinor and Dustfinger and looked to her left where the boy from 'The Tales of a Thousand and one Nights' was sitting. He kept whispering, "It's a dream, it's a dream, it's a dream…." While Meggie was staring forward, she looked exhausted. Kris wrapped her arm around the little girl and pulled her close so she could sleep on her shoulder.

"Are you alright, Meggie?" She asked in concern.

Meggie looked up at her, "I'm alright, I'm just tired and my head hurts."

"You're adrenaline wore off," Kris replied as she kept her arm wrapped around her. She noticed most of Meggie's attention was focused on the boy. Kris studied him; he was probably around Meggie's age – but a year or two older. He had long black hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a purple vest around his torso that reminded her of Aladdin's attire from the Disney movie. His pants were dark brown and hung down to his ankles; the ends of the fabric were fringed, dirty, and in some places torn. Around his waist he wore a blue sash; atop his head he wore a dark red scarf to keep the sunlight off his head. Hanging from his ear was a large gold hoop earring.

"Everything looks wrong, false, weird, like in dreams, and now," the boy grumbled as he rocked back and forth in an attempt to comfort himself. He looked up and out the window, "Now we're flying. Or is the night flying past us. Or something." His eyes were wide and terror was etched across his face, Kris couldn't help but to feel sorry for him. She heard a patting sound and looked at Dustfinger, he was probably trying to calm Gwinn down. The marten in the pack was growling and digging at the fabric of the bag.

"Don't look at me like that!" Dustfinger suddenly snapped. Kris jumped and noticed the fire juggler's gaze was fixed on Meggie. "You can't expect _me_ to explain. Your father will have to do that. After all, the poor lad's nightmare is his fault."

"It wasn't his fault," Kris exclaimed as she glared at Dustfinger. "Mo didn't want to read, Capricorn forced him. It's Capricorn's fault."

"It's Silvertongue who has the gift," Dustfinger retorted before he quickly looked away from her.

"A gift that he never used until his daughter's life was threatened. If I were in the same position, then I'd read too," Kris replied as she hugged Meggie a little closer to her. She glanced down to find Meggie looking up at her with a small smile. Kris returned the smile.

Mo turned from his seat and looked at the boy, his face and eyes were filled with guilt. "What's your name? It wasn't in the – " he stopped suddenly, trying to hide from the boy that he came from a book.

The boy stared at Mo suspiciously before looking down and muttering, "Farid. My name is Farid, but I believe it's unlucky to speak in a dream. You never find your way back if you do." He stared forwards and seemed intent on ignoring everyone in the car.

His statement that talking in a dream was unlucky reminded Kris of Basta so much that she shivered. A large part of her missed him; but the other part of her was so happy to free from that damned village that the feelings for her forced husband took a back seat. She paused and thought about Dutch, Robin Hood; now that she knew who he really was she'd always see him in a different light. She was dating a hero and a legend. She was dating a man whose heart already belonged to Maid Marian. Who was to say that he only wanted to be with her because he was lonely?

_ You'll always be number two to him; but Basta loves you…_A small voice whispered in the back of her mind. Kris knew the voice was not supernatural, but her own subconscious putting her fears into words. _No, I'm number three with Basta._ She replied to the tiny voice; in turn it argued, _Not when it comes to women. You're his wife, and he loves you. He will not dump you for the chance to return to some pretty maiden in medieval England._

Kris decided to ignore her subconscious and focus on the escape. She glanced outside the window and gazed into the night; it was as dark as ink.

"I'm going to drive straight on," Elinor suddenly exclaimed, "Until we reach my house." The moment after she said this, two beams of light pierced the dark night and Kristiana's heart pounded. She didn't need to wonder if the lights belonged to some innocent motorist. She already knew that the headlights belonged to the village's delivery van, and ten to one her husband was behind the wheel.

Elinor pressed down on the gas pedal as she tried to outrun the headlights.

"It could be just any old car," Meggie exclaimed, though the look on her face showed she didn't believe that.

"Now what?" Elinor exclaimed, fear in her voice. The car was weaving all around the road, "I'm not letting them lock me up in that hole again. No. No. No." She hit the steering wheel with the palm of her hand with each no. "Didn't you say you slit their tires?" She snapped at Dustfinger.

"Yes, and so I did! Obviously, they've thought about that kind of thing! Ever hear of _spare_ tires? Go on, step on it! There ought to be a village quite soon. It can't be far away now. If we can make it that far…" Dustfinger snapped.

"_If_, yes. _If_ is the question," she tapped the fuel gauge, "I've got enough gas for about another ten kilometers, twenty at the most." The car swerved around a sharp bend and one of the front tires blew out with a loud bang. Elinor skidded off the road so quickly that Meggie shrieked; Dustfinger braced his hands against the ceiling and door of the car; Mo grabbed hold of his door; Farid grabbed hold of Kristiana; and Kristiana wrapped her arms around both Meggie and Farid and shut her eyes. _Please God, don't let us fall into the ravine and be killed. Please._

The car suddenly scraped against a stone wall with a loud moan and began to slow down and finally stopped against a chestnut tree leaning over the side of the road.

"Oh, hell, hell, bloody hell!" Elinor swore and glanced around the car, "Everyone alright?"

"Now I know why I've never trusted cars," Dustfinger muttered before spitting out some of Gwinn's fur. The marten had jumped out of the backpack when the car was out of the control and onto its master's head.

Kris took a deep breath, she was shaking from head to toe, but Meggie was shaking even worse while Farid was stiff as a statue. She pulled them both closer to herself and gave the two a long and comforting hug.

"Are you alright?" Mo asked Meggie, she nodded. Mo glanced at Dustfinger, Farid, and Kris.

Kris nodded, "We're alright," she climbed out of the car after Dustfinger and Meggie, Farid climbed out after her. Dustfinger stood at the shoulder of the road with his backpack in hand, the loud humming an engine roared through the quiet night.

"We need to get the car off the road so they don't see it," Dustfinger exclaimed.

"What?" Elinor exclaimed wide eyed, "I am not pushing my car down anywhere! I'll hide and call a tow truck!"

"No tow truck will come down this road," Dustfinger exclaimed, "Everyone in surrounding villages have a rule never to come down this far. They say Death awaits them, and their right. We have to push it down the slope!"

"My car!" Elinor exclaimed again so loudly she was nearly screaming.

"Elinor," Kris exclaimed, "Better the car than us. I have a friend in the village where I lived, which is only a few miles from here, and he sells cars. I'll talk to him once we're out of this mess and I'm sure he'll give you a good price on a new and better car."

Mo ran over to Elinor, "That engine is getting closer and Kris is right, better the car than us. Dustfinger has a good idea, if we can push the car down that slope it may trick Capricorn's men into thinking we're on the other side of the road. That will buy us time. We can climb up the hell on the other side and hide among the trees."

Elinor glanced at the hills to their right with a frown, "But it's much too steep! And what about the snakes?"

"I'm sure Basta has a new knife by now, and I can guarantee you if he sees Kristiana, he'll come after each one of us thinking we took her," Dustfinger exclaimed.

Elinor gave him a dark look and walked around to the back of her car to check the trunk. "Where's our luggage?"

Dustfinger glanced at her in amusement, "Basta probably looked through it and gave most of it to Capricorn's maids. The other half went to Kristiana."

"It did?" Kristiana asked blankly. She paused, "Elinor, um….Did you pack a turquoise angel necklace?"

"I most certainly did and it's gone!" She replied, "It was a gift from a book collector in America, he was a Native American man named Daniel MacHowlan!"

Kris's eyes widened, "Daniel MacHowlan? He's my twin brother!"

Elinor looked at her startled, "Really? My, it is a small world after all!"

Kris took off the necklace and handed it to Elinor, "Basta gave it to me this morning, I'm sorry. If I had any idea it was yours…" she shook her head.

"It's not your fault, and that's the least of our problems," Dustfinger exclaimed as everyone gathered to the back of the car and began pushing. No matter how hard they pushed and shoved the car only move a few meters down the slope, then it stopped as its hood became caught in shrubbery and other growth.

"Huh, Kuzu vines," Kris exclaimed. "We have them all over Georgia; they're in Florida as well."

"Florida?" Meggie asked in confusion.

Kris nodded with a smile, "It's a state in America, its tropical and almost every summer day around 4 o'clock it pours and thunders."

"How do you know?"

"I have a friend who lives there," Kris replied.

"I went to Florida once, much too hot, I had to leave because I thought I was on a human bar-b-que pit!" Elinor exclaimed as the group moved to the other side to escape the sound of the roaring engine. They climbed over a wall and struggled up the slope; a few times Kristiana braced Elinor's back to keep her from falling. They reached the top of the slope minutes later; olive trees, grape vines, and other fruit trees grew wildly. Fruit covered the ground. Kris wondered why Capricorn never harvested it; it would certainly save on grocery bills.

"Keep your heads down!" Dustfinger gasped as he ducked behind a ruined wall, "They're coming!"

Kris watched as Mo pulled Meggie down, she turned and pushed Farid behind a thick Olive Tree, and then hunched down behind the wall. Between the wall and the plant life, the group was able to hide without being seen.

"What about the snakes?" Elinor whispered from beside Kris.

"Too cold for them at the moment," Dustfinger replied.

"Don't worry, if there are snakes around I can get rid of them," Kris whispered as she gave Elinor's hand a squeeze. "When my mom was alive, she, my brother, and I used to live in a forest for a few years. She taught us how to throw snakes away from us using a stick, or sometimes with the toe of our boots."

Dustfinger glared at Elinor from his hiding place, "Haven't you learned anything from all those clever books of yours?"

Elinor was getting ready to snap at him, when Kris tapped her shoulder and shook her head. The white delivery van suddenly sped past them, the driver didn't seem to notice Elinor's car. The van quickly disappeared around the next pass. Kris let out the breath she had been holding and sighed in relief. She was about to stand when she heard Mo hiss, "Not yet!"

The night was so still and silent that it gave Kristiana chills. She felt like she was stuck in a horror film, just waiting for some kind of monster to jump out and attack them. _Where are Sam and Dean Winchester when we need them?_ She wondered to herself. She watched as the headlights of the van illuminated the slope of the next hill; then the lights stopped moving and disappeared.

"They're turning!" Whispered Elinor, "Oh God! Now what?"

Kris wrapped her arm around the older woman to keep her from standing, "Don't! We're going to be alright, but we have to stay down!"

Mo leaned over and helped Kris pin Elinor down, "Are you mad?" He whispered to her, "It's too late to climb any farther, they'd see us!"

Kris glanced at Mo, "I can buy you all more time. I can run down there get into Elinor's car and pretend to have been knocked out. Basta –"

"No!" Dustfinger snapped, "You will not sacrifice yourself for us. I've lost you once…" he suddenly stopped as everyone stared at him in shock and confusion.

"_What?_" Kristiana asked him, she quickly ducked down again when the loud roaring of the motor returned. The delivery van was speeding back up the road and stopped when its headlights illuminated Elinor's car….And something sparkling on the ground. Kris wondered what that was; she suddenly realized her ring finger felt bare. She glanced down and her mouth went dry, her wedding ring had fallen off! She glanced at Mo and Dustfinger, a look that clearly said 'I'm so sorry!' was written across her face. Mo shook his head, Dustfinger shrugged and mouthed to her, 'Accidents happen.'

Kris ducked down as far as she could with Elinor when she heard the van's metal doors groan as they opened. They shut with two loud bangs a moment later. Both had their backs turned until one looked up revealing Kris's husband's face. For a moment Kris's heart pounded and she felt as if her husband could feel where she was. A small part of her wanted to run into his arms, but the need to protect her new friends and escape to freedom was far greater.

"There's the car," said the other black jacket. Kris recognized Flatnose's voice.

"See if they're in it," Basta snapped as he walked to the middle of the road, squatted down and grabbed Kris's wedding ring. "That damned fire eater took my wife's wedding ring! What did I tell you, Flatnose! He wanted her for himself because she looks like Roxanne! He figures he can have Roxanne and Kristiana both!"

When Flatnose failed to answer, since he was clumsily making his way down the slope where Elinor's car was and trying to push the thorny vines away from him, Basta went silent. Kris watched as he lit a cigarette, she raised an eyebrow, she didn't know her husband smoked.

"They're not here! They must have gotten away on foot. Hell, do you think we have to follow them?" Flatnose shouted up to leader of the black jackets.

Basta walked over to the roadside and looked down and turned and looked up the slope. Kris heard Elinor gasp in terror; she looked over and pulled the older woman closer. She leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "If they came up here, I'd find a way down and buy you all time to escape."

Elinor glanced at her with terror written all over her face after a long moment she gave a tiny nod.

"They can't have gotten far," he said, "But it'll be difficult to find their trail in the dark. But we will find them, where ever Dirty Fingers is, Silvertongue, his brat, and my wife will be!"

"Exactly!" Flatnose replied as he trudged up the slope and stepped back onto the pavement, "We're not bloody native trackers, are we?"

Kris glared down at Flatnose with a sneer. He should have known better than to insult all natives by now! Basta knew his wife was part Native American!

Basta didn't reply, instead he stood there, listening, inhaling cigarette smoke, and squeezing Kristiana's wedding ring. After a long moment he stopped and whispered something to Flatnose.

Flatnose began looking around, "Nah, let's get the dogs instead! Even if they are hiding somewhere around here, how do we know whether they climbed up or down?"

Kris watched as Basta glanced at the trees, then at the road, and threw his cigarette on the ground and stamped down on it. He went back to the van and took out two shot guns and tossed one to Flatnose, "We'll try going down first," he rasped, "I'm sure that fat woman would rather climb downhill as would Kristiana since she's afraid of heights."

"All you ever do anymore is talk about _her_, when you will go back to talking about something interesting?" Flatnose almost seemed to whine.

Basta glared at him before stepping forward and disappearing into the dark night. Kris watched at Flatnose stared at the van longingly. Although he was an evil man, he his mind a lot of times worked like a boy's. He didn't like pure blackness very much and one time he had come to talk to Kristiana about his fear of a giant animal attacking him. Then, he made her swear to never tell another living soul of his fear, or he'd kill her – whether she was Basta's wife or not.

Flatnose continued glaring at the van for a moment longer before grumbling and disappearing into the shrubbery and other plant life. The two were barely out of sight when Dustfinger suddenly stood and pointed to the slope above them. The group darted from tree to tree, from bush to bush, constantly looking behind them. Every time a twig cracked Kris would flinch, though luckily Basta and Flatnose were making a larger amount of noise as they worked their way downhill.

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Almost an hour later they could no longer hear the ruckus Basta and Flatnose were making. Kris's feet were sore and aching, but she knew she couldn't stop. Mo had just been about to push aside a branch when a twig snapped.

"Oh God!" Elinor cried out.

Kris turned to see a man aiming a rifle at her, he was dressed in camouflage and had blonde hair cut in a short military style.

"There's more!" Meggie whispered as two more men stepped forward.

Kris stepped up beside Elinor and stood frozen in terror after that. Who were these men? Were they going to shoot them?

"Kristiana?" One of the men asked, Kris instantly recognized his voice.

"Dutch?"

"Thank God!" Dutch exclaimed with a huge smile on his face as he lowered his gun; Kris then recognized Byron.

"Hi Byron! Whose your friend?"

"FBI, Special Agent Timothy Reinhold at your service, miss," he smiled as he lowered his rifle.

"You _know_ these men?" Elinor asked wide eyed. Kris looked at her and nodded with a huge smile.

"Everyone, I'd like ya'll to meet my boyfriend, FBI Special Agent Dutch Moorsey. The man beside him is Byron, his partner." She exclaimed and ran up to Dutch and jumped into his arms. Her heart pounded with happiness as her feelings for Basta instantly vanished. Her heart swelled with love for the man she had given her heart too. Who cared if he still loved Marian? Dutch loved her now! She knew the thought was a horrible one to have, but it was the way she felt. She loved Dutch and there was no crime in that.

Dutch wrapped his arms protectively around her and muttered in ear, "I thought you loved Basta and you were pretty much telling me to go to Hell."

Kris looked up at him, "Never," she replied with a huge smile, "Never in a million years, Dutch. I love you too much to let you go."

He beamed as he bent down and kissed her for a long minute.

"Hey Dutch-Man, c'mon up for air, buddy!" Byron exclaimed with a huge smile, "We should get outta here." He looked to Mo, "Our van is right down this slope."

"Before that, I believe more introductions need to be made," Reinhold grunted as he trudged his way down the hill past Mo.

Dustfinger stepped forward, "I'm Dustfinger, the man with brown hair is Mortimer Folchart, beside him is his daughter Meggie, Farid is beside her, and behind him is Elinor."

"Nice to meet everyone I haven't met," Byron smiled.

"You all have a van around here?" Elinor asked with a look of hope on her face.

"Sure do, it's down below-" Dutch started when Dustfinger shook his head.

"We can't go down there; Basta and Flatnose are down there."

"You mean the giant and the shrimp?" Reinhold asked as he slung the gun over his shoulder and held the butt of it in the palm of his hand. "We ran across them a few minutes ago," he snorted, "They think we're hunters looking for game. We let them get a little farther on to a hovel and knocked them out."

"Kristiana," Elinor suddenly exclaimed, "I fully approve of your choice of men."

Kris chuckled, "Thanks, Elinor." She looked over at Meggie, "Meggie, this is Dutch, he's a real man just like I promised he was."

"Real? She doesn't think I'm real?" He exclaimed with a raised eyebrow.

Kris laughed, "Nope. She told me earlier you were made up."

"Nah, I'm as real as any of you here, kiddo." He smiled as he began to lead the way towards his van. Byron put his arm around Elinor's shoulders and walked with her as Reinhold followed from behind. A few minutes later they were all sitting back in the van and Elinor was sighing in relief as she buckled her seat belt.

"'Scuse me miss," Reinhold smiled to her as he pushed a metal case, with his laptop within it, under her seat.

"So all of you are American?" Meggie smiled.

"Each and every one of us," Dutch grunted in reply after all the supplies and people were loaded into the van. "Kris, where's your apartment and how big is it?"

"It's in the upcoming village, it's not huge, but it can up to ten people though it would be cramped."

"That sounds good," Dutch smiled, "We have plenty of sleeping bags."

"What about clothing?" Elinor asked.

"There's a clothing store right across from my apartment complex, I can go over and get you all some new clothes in the morning," Kris offered.

"I'll give you my credit card," Elinor replied, "I don't want you paying for our things."

_**

* * *

**_

Almost an hour later the group arrived at Kristiana's apartment. Kris was glad she had given Dutch one of her spare keys, since Cockerell had taken hers. As she entered through the threshold for the first time in over a month she was happy and relieved to see everything was just how she left it. Her pink suitcase was still in front of her bedroom door, half packed. Her bed was made, and the bed in her spare bedroom (something Dutch insisted she had in her apartment, and she was glad he had talked her into it two years before). Her living room was small and contained a sofa with a pull out bed, a small coffee table, a TV on a stand against the wall, and a bookcase to her left. The bathroom was in the hallway between her room and the guest bedroom. She couldn't count the number of times how happy she had been that the apartment was furnished.

"This is a nice place," Mo commented as he picked up a glass figurine of an angel playing a violin.

"It's been home for the last two years," Kris smiled, "It was my last day here when Cockerell and Flatnose abducted me. I'm glad to see everything is just how I left it."

Elinor walked over to her bookcase, "There are books in here that have been read many times," she exclaimed with a smile.

Kristiana beamed, "I love books. Let me go check my fridge and freezer to see what I have. I'm sure everyone must be starving."

"Don't worry about that," Reinhold replied with a smile as he picked up her cordless phone, "I'll order pizza."

"Pizza? What's that?" Dustfinger and Farid asked in unison.

Mo stared at Dustfinger and Byron blinked and exclaimed, "After all this time you've been in our world, Dustfinger, you've _never_ had a slice of pizza? This is the home country of pizza!"

Dustfinger shook his head, "Never."

"Well," Meggie beamed as she sat down on Kris's sofa, "You're in for a surprise, because pizza is really good!"

"Could you order half of one with onions, green peppers, and bacon? I'm having cravings," Kristiana smiled as she placed her hand over her stomach.

Reinhold nodded, "Of course."

"Thanks," Kris smiled, "So…" she turned to everyone, "How about I turn on some TV?"

Meggie glanced over at Mo, "What if Basta and Flatnose find us here?"

Kristiana frowned and bit her upper lip. She didn't want to go back to the village! The only reason she ever would return would be to rescue Leigh. But she had a feeling Fulvio had a plan.

"If Basta and Flatnose show their faces around here, I'll kill them both," Dutch replied with a sneer as he pulled Kris too him and embraced her in a long and protective hug. Kris wrapped her arms around him.

"Meggie, if Basta and Flatnose come here, then Dutch, Reinhold, and Byron all have guns and they've been trained," she smiled. "Don't worry, we're safe here."

* * *

_**A/N: Don't worry, Kris still loves Basta. :) She's just glad to be free.**_


	16. Bastas Rescue & Dustfingers Story

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters, they belong to Cornelia Funke. I do not own Robin Hood. I own Dutch, Kristiana, Leigh, and Fazio. I do not own the Princess and the Goblin.**_

_**(A/N: Hey everyone, here is the next chapter. :) Hope you all like it. This chapter is dedicated to **__**Caunedhiel and Basta's Girl.)**_

_**

* * *

**_

"…_**And all that's dark inside us will flicker into light!" –A Spark Inside us from The Princess and the Goblin-**_

Basta growled as he kicked his bound legs against the hovel's wall, he and Flatnose had been trapped in the remnants of the house the entire night and most of the following day. The rats had nibbled off the tip of Flatnose's boots and were beginning to bite his toes; luckily, the giant had succeeded in lifting his bound feet and smashing them down on the vermin. Basta growled, though the gag Dutch had stuffed into his mouth, was working rather well. He stamped on the wall again until Fazio, with the words 'He marched along the wall' tattooed upon his face, peeked in through the hovel's door. Basta rolled his eyes, _finally! The idiots took their time finding us!_

"Basta?" Fazio questioned as he walked through the doorframe. Fazio was a thin and wiry man who always kept his chin against his chest and raised his sharp shoulders high, making him look like a cross of a vulture and a crow. Cockerell, who entered next, reminded everyone he crossed of a vulture. His clothing started with long black feathers circling around a high necked collar, which gave even more of a vulture appearance along with his jacket's long and drooping black sleeves.

Fazio knelt down and pulled the gag from Basta's mouth. Basta took his new opportunity to shout, "What the hell took you idiots so long?" Fazio's eyes widened as he quickly shoved the gag, old dirty socks, back into Basta's mouth. He and Cockerell both grabbed their knives and began to cut the rope off the two black jackets.

"We've been searching throughout the night into the day," Cockerell growled. "At one point, I suggested we call off the search and leave you two for dead"

Basta snarled at Cockerell as he sat up and pushed himself onto his feet, "Capricorn would have never allowed that. I have to get back Silvertongue and my wife!"

"That job was about to be given to us if we didn't find you by tonight," Fazio exclaimed, "And as a reward, Cockerell could have your wife."

Anger and hate raged through Basta's body like a powerful and deadly storm. He rushed forward, grabbed Cockerell by the lapels of his suit, and smashed him into the wall.

"You will never touch Kristiana again! She is _my _wife, she belongs to me! _Anyone_ who touches her, I _will_ kill!" He shoved his foxy face so close to Cockerell's that the other man flinched back in fear. Everyone in the village knew never to piss their leader off – his temper was as deadly as his knife.

Cockerell raised his hands as far in front of him as he could, "OK, OK! I'll keep my hands off!" He exclaimed with wide eyes. Basta glared at the black jacket for a long moment – Cockerell was known to say things he didn't mean all the time. However, on rare occasions, he did tell the truth. However, Basta could never tell the truth from the lies with the red haired black jacket. He glared at him for a long moment, the left corner of Cockerell's mouth was twitching; a nervous habit of his when he was up to something.

"What are you planning?" Basta hissed as pressed his forearm against the black jacket's throat, causing Cockerell to gasp.

"N-Nothing," the black jacket exclaimed, his voice croaky and high pitched because of Basta's arm.

"Liar!" Basta snarled, "What are you planning?" He slowly reached for his knife.

Cockerell stared at Basta for a long moment, a look of hate mixed with fear (or was it respect, Basta wondered) danced in the black jacket's eyes for a long minute. "You've been in this world too long, Basta." He croaked, "You're becoming one of them! Women are possessions – trophies really – and you've gone off falling in love with one! 'Love is for fools' it was the first lesson taught to us and you have forgotten it! Love is weakness! It makes your knees knock together and second guess yourself-"

Basta pressed his forearm farther into Cockerell's throat, causing the black jacket to gasp and struggle. He clawed at Basta's arm, a look of wide eyed terror on his face.

"Basta, you're killing him!" Fazio exclaimed, "Let go!"

Basta sneered as he pulled his arm away from the ungrateful black jacket's throat. He watched Cockerell slide down the wall and grasp his throat.

"That is not the lesson Capricorn taught me," Basta hissed, "Nor did he teach that lesson to anyone else. The lesson he taught is 'Love is a fool's errand because it is so rare to find. When it is found you must take it under possession, for once you have it, it can be taken. If it is taken, it may never be found. Keep a tight grip on your own sanity – but an even tighter grip on your heart and your wife.' _That_ is the lesson Capricorn taught."

Cockerell stared up at Basta, this time more fear across his face then hate, "I understand," he exclaimed; his voice was hoarse from his throat nearly being crushed.

"Good, and don't you ever mention my wife's name again. Because she's _mine_, you're the one who found her; _I'm_ the one who _won_ her." Basta stared down at Cockerell for a long moment, wondering if the black jacket would argue; instead, he seemed to grow a brain and keep silent. _About damned time, he's always been a bird brain anyhow._ Basta snarled to himself as he turned to Flatnose, "Back to the car!"

"But Basta, I'm hungry! I want a shower! I feel dirty! I want to change my clothes!"

Basta spun and glared at the whiney giant, "You will make someone a good wife one day, if you carry on that whining!"

"Hey!" Flatnose exclaimed as Basta was a good four feet out of the hovel.

Basta hurried along his way towards the car, anger caused him to see red. _That fire eater took my wife and helped to free Silvertongue! When I find him, I'll kill him! Then I'll kill Dutch! He won't slip out of my fingers again! Then I'll have Kristiana all to myself; and Capricorn will be highly pleased that I found and recaptured Silvertongue! Perhaps I'll be able to move into his house one day?_

Where was Kristiana, and was she thinking of him? Did she miss him? Or was she with Dutch – or Robin Hood – and happy as ever? The thought caused him to shudder. NO. Kristiana was his wife, he loved her and he knew deep down she loved him. She was just a silent and reserved person when it came to her emotions. _However, one person would know if Kristiana loves me or not – Leigh would know! Kristiana told her everything!_

As Basta walked quickly towards the woods he thought to himself, _there's a lot of darkness within me, and Kristiana is my light._

_

* * *

_

"OK," Dutch smiled later that afternoon as he, Kristiana, Dustfinger, Meggie, Mo, Elinor, and Farid sat in a restaurant. Dutch held out both his hands, "Alright miss psychic intuitive tell me which hand the silver dollar is in!" He beamed with a boy like expression on his face.

Kristiana raised her eyebrow, at the very moment her grown boyfriend reminded her of an excited little boy learning a magic trick and performing it for the first time. "Dutch-"

"C'mon, Kris!"

Kristiana paused; the flashes and feelings just came on their own. She had no idea how to control the gift – or if there was a way to even control it! Her mother had once told her that when she wanted to know something and she wasn't getting feelings, she'd ask her guardian angels for assistance. Would that work? _Guardian Angels – _she never got past those two words as a soft and loving voice whispered in the back of her mind, _trust your body's feelings and reactions. You know where the coin is. _

Kristiana stared at Dutch for a long moment as she paid attention to the feelings of her body, everything felt normal except for her left shoulder. It felt tense and heavy.

"It's not in either hand. You slipped it into your holster," Kris smiled as Dutch blinked in shock and brought the coin out from his brown leather shoulder holster.

"Well, I'll be damned!"

"I see the rumors of you being a seer are true," Dustfinger exclaimed. "The gift of second sight is a rare and treasured gift in my world."

Kris blushed a little, "I didn't see where the coin was…I felt it. My left shoulder felt heavy. However, last night before going to sleep, I did see a flash in my mind of Basta pinning Cockerell to the wall with his forearm."

Everyone at the table tensed as Elinor grumbled, "Dear, oh dear, all I want to do is return home to my books. I never want to see that awful man Basta again! It will be a long time before I pick up any of my steak knives to cook!"

Dustfinger nodded sympathetically to Elinor, "Many people in my world rarely used knives after running into Basta. In my world, knives are referred to as 'the weapon' and Basta and Capricorn's names are never to be mentioned. Whenever their names were mentioned, the two fire raisers seemed to appear out of nowhere."

Kristiana paused, "Dustfinger….What is your world like?"

"It's beautiful….There are creatures that you have never seen or heard of before. There are whispering trees, wise dragons, dangerous sea monsters, good and bad men, romance and hate, heroes and cowards…." Dustfinger paused, "Do you remember earlier when I said I cannot lose you again?"

Kristiana nodded, "I still have no idea what you were talking about."

"When Mo read me out of my story," he glared at Mo for a long moment, causing the man to look down at his plate as guilt filled his face. Dustfinger looked back at Kris, "I was taking my daughter, Brianna, with me to the Black Prince's castle. It was her birthday and I promised her I would let her watch as I performed my fire juggling. We were half way to the castle when Basta and Capricorn walked out of the bushes and shrubbery…" Dustfinger paused; he looked as if he were lost in the memory.

"'Dirty-Fingers a father? Our world is truly coming to an end!' Basta laughed at me. 'She's not a very pretty little thing, is she? Far too thin,' Capricorn commented. I pushed Brianna behind me; I did not want her in danger. I told her to go home, to run as fast as she could, but she was too scared. She stared at me with wide eyes and she was beginning to cry in fear. 'Leave my father alone!' She screamed at Basta, 'Leave him alone!' Basta shouted at her to be quiet as I began to blow Dragon's breath above Basta and Capricorn's head. Basta cowered in terror until the fire was gone, Brianna ran behind a small tree."

Dustfinger lowered his eyes for a moment and absent mindedly pushed his fork around the table with his index finger. "Basta grabbed me by my collar and threatened, 'you done it this time, fire-eater!' Capricorn stepped close, 'I am tired of your imbecilic antics! Kill him, Basta!' I heard Brianna shout, 'No, don't hurt my father!' and then I heard her yell, 'The ground is shaking!'" Dustfinger leaned back in the booth, "That was when he heard _the voice_. At first it was like a whisper '…Basta grabbed Dustfinger by his collar as Capricorn neared, the fire juggler's face fully expressed his fear, partly for himself, but mainly for his young daughter.' Then, the voice became louder and louder until all the sudden the green rolling hills, the castles, and my poor little Brianna had all disappeared. Suddenly, we were standing in middle of Silvertongue's house's front door….And you know the story from there."

"Oh, Dustfinger, I'm so sorry," Kristiana said softly as she placed her hand over his. Mo had told her that morning how he read Basta, Capricorn, and Dustfinger out of Inkheart.

"When I first met you Kristiana, I thought for certain Darius had read my daughter out of Inkheart. I thought you were Brianna. I was terrified, until Leigh told me exactly who you were. None the less, I imagine that my Brianna looks just like you. I hope she has the courage and strength of her mother, and maybe, perhaps, she has gained the gift of fire." He paused for a long moment, "I hope she is like you too, Kristiana. I hope she has a big heart, courage, and a strong sense of justice."

Kristiana stared at Dustfinger for a long moment, speechless. She had never received such a compliment before.

Dustfinger gave a small smile, "You're a very lucky man, Robin Hood."

Dutch nodded, "That I am."

"Was it the same way for you?" Dustfinger questioned as he tore off a piece of his cheeseburger and tossed it into his backpack for Gwinn.

Dutch paused and shook his head, "Not really. I was in the woods with Marian, I had just proposed to her. We were planning to wed after the return of King Richard from the Holy Land. I heard a stammering and stuttering voice and I believed it to be Friar Tuck – I figure he had been diving into the wine again," he chuckled. "Then, Marian began to blur and lightning struck me, after the flash left I found myself standing upon a giant woman. I was speechless, amazed, and terrified. 'Hey buddy, you're in the wrong country! Robin Hood country is in England! This is the Statue of Liberty, pure American! Get lost!' Some tourist shouted at me….Then Lucinda was there. She took me in, and for some reason believed my story – though, she was skeptical at first – and after a few years I was about to propose to her….When Kristiana walked into the room. I thought I was seeing an angel," he smiled to her.

Kristiana blushed and paused, "I didn't know you were in love with Lucinda."

Dutch paused and shrugged, "I don't know if I truly was or not. I think I was more grateful than in love….However, I am concerned about her well-being. That tornado…."

"Tornado?" Kristiana asked in confusion.

Dutch paused and explained how Darius had read out a tornado that whipped across the countryside and took Lucinda and many other FBI agents the land of OZ.

Kristiana shook her head, "Capricorn's a monster. I wish I could just shoot him."

"Shooting him wouldn't be good enough," Mo exclaimed as he shook his head. "He's hurt and killed people in our world and in Dustfinger's world."

"The shadow should slowly consume him, make him experience what people in my world experienced and may still be experiencing." Dustfinger exclaimed as he stood and slung his backpack around his shoulders, "I'm leaving now."

"I am going with you," Farid exclaimed, he had become rather attached to Dustfinger – much to the fire eater's annoyance.

"You are _not_ going with me and that is final!" Dustfinger exclaimed as he stalked out. Farid ignored the order and followed the fire juggler down the street with a large smile on his face.

"I never want to go back to that village again," Meggie suddenly exclaimed.

"None of us do," Kristiana replied, half heartedly. In truth, during the last day she had begun to miss Basta. She missed his voice, missed the way he wrapped his arms around her, and missed the way she felt so safe with him. She felt safe and happy with Dutch….But not as happy or secure as she used to feel with him. The realization made her frown uncomfortably. _The sooner I get back to America and I'm able to talk to a good psychologist, the better. I can't fall in love with a fictional character – and he can't love me, because he's not real…..Right?_ Her heart seemed to shout back at her, 'WRONG!'

"Oh, Mortimer, before I forget. I found the author of Inkheart, Fenoglio, I found his address." She handed Mo a slip of paper. "It's about three villages over."

"How did you get this?" Mo asked in amazement.

Elinor smiled, "I have my ways." She stood, "Kristiana, it was nice meeting you and please take no offense to this, but I hope to never see you again. Seeing you brings back memories of that awful husband of yours!" She paused as she reached into her purse and pulled out a small leather bag and put it onto the table, "For you. You need something other than your intuition and Dutch to keep you safe if Basta should ever return into your life." She placed a hand on Kristiana's shoulder, "Thank you for helping me find the courage to go up that slope and keep hidden the other night. I think it was very kind and noble of you to give yourself up to save us – but please never make that offer again. You're a good woman, Kristiana, much too good for the likes of Basta."

She turned and hugged Meggie and Mo, she handed Meggie a bag filled with two books and a few new sets of clothing.

"Perhaps your father can read one of these books aloud to you, there's nothing harmful or evil in them." Elinor smiled before she turned and walked out of the restaurant, fully intending to return home back to her books. The only good adventure was one written on paper in her opinion.

"What did she give you?" Dutch asked curiously as Meggie went through the bag looking at her new books and clothing.

Kristiana opened the drawstring and held her palm out as she turned the back upside down. Hanging from a long woven golden chain was a small golden cross.

"It's beautiful," Kristiana whispered, "This is too much, I need to give it back to Elinor." As she studied the beautiful cross she knew Elinor had been wrong about one thing. It wasn't Basta she needed protection from. It was Cockerell and Capricorn who she needed to stay away from….Those two were monsters.

Mo looked at the pendant, "That cross was given to Elinor years ago when she was visiting Vatican City. I'm not sure who gave it to her, but I know it's very dear to her. I think she gave it to you for a reason, and wouldn't appreciate you trying to return it."

Kristiana nodded as she put it on, "Could you tell her thank you for me?"

Mo nodded, "I will."

Kristiana paused, "Oh, and I know Signor Fenoglio personally," she smiled, "My bank branched served three villages, including his. He's a bit grumpy, but after a while he'll warm up, especially if you talk to him about Inkheart right away. Also," she paused, "Tell him you're a friend of Kris MacHowlan, it should help."

"You were his banker?"

Kristiana nodded, "I was. He has two grandchildren and a third on the way. Paula is a bit younger than Meggie, however, I believe Pippo is around her age."

"Does he like to read?" Meggie asked with a small smile.

"I really don't know," Kristiana replied with a small shrug, "However, I do know he loves candy. Every time he came to the bank with his grandfather I would have to refill my candy dish afterwards. However, I do know he likes looking for ants and other bugs. He's a sweet little boy."


	17. Chase in the Aiport & Kristianas Choice

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters, Cornelia Funke does. I do not own Robin Hood. I own Kristiana, Fazio, Reinhold, and Byron.**_

_**(A/N: No, this is not the final chapter. **____** It's the chapter where Kristiana makes her choice. Also, I found the Google translator and I translated a sentence for the story into Itilian….I just hope it's translated right. ^_^; )**_

"_**This is my time to show  
What I must have always known  
That nothings impossible  
And dreams come true…"**_

"_**This is My Time" –Raven Symone-**_

The Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome was buzzing with loud noises – children crying, hundreds of languages being spoken all at once, scolding parents, and laughing friends. Kris leaned back in her plastic chair in gate 5 to America; she was sandwiched between Dutch and Byron while Reinhold sat on the floor, his laptop sat on the seat of his chair. Her head was still spinning a little, only hours before they had been saying goodbye to Mo and Meggie, now they were in Rome (which was only two hours away from Capricorn's village) and preparing to return home to America.

Kris's thoughts were on Leigh and Fulvio. Was Leigh alright? What about her baby? She had been so focused on her concerns that she jumped when Dutch's hand went on her shoulder. She looked over at him and was surprised to find him holding his index finger over his lips. When her eyebrows lifted, he pointed towards one of the airport restaurants. Kristiana looked over and was surprised to find her husband and Flatnose walking out of it. Basta's face was beat red and his eyebrows were lowered; his mouth was set in a sneer.

Reinhold was walking out of a gift shop; he had purchased baseball caps and hoodies. He handed a jacket to Byron, Dutch, and Kris with baseball caps. Kristiana put the cap onto her head then shrugged the jacket on.

"Put the hood on over the cap," Dutch exclaimed as Reinhold handed out sunglasses.

"Someone's going to think we're up to no good," Kris muttered as she slipped on the gray sunglasses.

"If anyone gives us trouble we'll flash our badges," Dutch replied as he pointed to his own. When seeing Kris's surprised look, he smiled, "Dustfinger is a damned good pickpocket. He got my badge back from Basta."

"Let's go," Reinhold grunted, "Basta and Flatnose are getting close, and we can't flash our weapons in here – badge or not – security will have a field day." He looked at Kristiana, "Dutch and I are going to stand up together and stretch, you lean down to tie your shoe and Byron will get your purse. We need to act natural; if we don't that husband of yours will be over here faster than you can say 'free cheers for the red, white, and blue'."

"Dutch," Kris said softly as he began to stand, "Just…Let me go back with him."

"No way in Hell, Kristiana. You're now just starting to heal on your own from the effects of the brainwashing."

"He didn't brainwash me!" She hissed.

"Yes, he did," Dutch grumbled as he stood and lifted his arms into the air in a long stretch. He gave a loud yawn, "Damn, man. You'd think they could schedule a plane on time for once!"

"You all!"

Kristiana's heart skipped a beat as Basta and Flatnose walked towards them. She hunched over and stuck her finger in the knot of her shoe and unraveled it. She began to tie her shoe again, making sure to take her time. _Basta! It's me! I'm here! _Another part of her shouted, _No! He can't find me! I need to be with Dutch, I love him!_ Damn it, she hated these emotions. She needed to choose one and get it over and done with.

"Youse talkin' ta me?" Byron asked in a lower Manhattan accent.

"What the hell is wrong with your voice?" Basta rasped as he and Flatnose stood in front of the small group.

"I'se from New Yawk, ya gotta problem wid dat, bum?" Byron sneered, he had made his voice deeper and slightly raspy.

"Chill out, Leon," Dutch exclaimed, his voice had raised an octave and his accent sounded southern. "Sorry 'bout my buddy here, sir. We're just real happy like ta be returnin' to the good ole' U.S. of A. Ah tell you whut! There ain't nothin' like a good gumbo – and Italy ain't got any good gumbo! No suh-ree!"

"I don't give a damn where you're going," Basta replied as he shoved a photograph of Kristiana in his face, "Have you seen her?"

"_La bonita es _beautiful, _si_?" Reinhold questioned in a Spanish accent.

Basta glanced at him and raised an eyebrow, "I hate this world's languages." He turned back to Dutch, "Have you seen her or not?"

"No suh-ree, if ah had seen a purty little thang like that I woulda swooped her right into mah arms –"

"You would have done no such thing!" Basta practically shouted as he reached for his knife, until Flatnose elbowed him with a grunt and glanced towards a security guard. Basta sneered at the sight of the uniformed man and glared back at Dutch. "If you see her, you keep your grubby hands off her. She's my wife."

"If she's youse wife, den why did she run da hell away?" Byron questioned as he crossed his arms.

"None of your business," Basta rasped before he motioned for Flatnose. The two walked off towards the next gate.

"Shit, that was close," Dutch sighed as he looked down at Kristiana. Kris, who had finished tying her shoe, looked up at him. She chewed the inside of her mouth and wished she would have spoken up. But her heart was so confused. When you were in deep love with two men, how did you choose which one would have your heart?

"You're not whistling Dixie," Reinhold replied, "Ah, shit." He stared at the flight board, "Our flight's been delayed for ten hours."

"_Ten hours_?" Byron's eyes widened, "I am not believing this!"

"We can't keep Kristiana hidden for ten hours at this rate," Dutch exclaimed with a frown. "Basta's looking for her, and he's even crazier than he was in the village. There's a damned good chance he'll kill someone, including an innocent bystander, to get her back."

"I saw a hotel no less than ten kilometers down the road," Byron exclaimed, "We could take her there?"

"Dutch?" Questioned a familiar voice, the group turned to see Elinor walking towards them. "Oh! I knew it was you all the moment I saw you!" She beamed, "Kristiana, you're horrible at hiding!"

Dutch motioned for her to be quiet and stop mentioning their names; however, Elinor didn't take the hint. Instead she continued towards them with a shopping bag in hand, "I found the most wonderful books!"

Byron looked over his shoulder and winced at seeing Basta and Flatnose freeze in their tracks and slowly turn to face them. "Our cover's blown, beat it!"  
"Elinor," Dutch growled, "You're a strong old lady and I like you, however you just got us killed and Kristiana kidnapped – again!" He grabbed hold of Kris and before she could he react he tossed her over his shoulder and held onto the back of her legs. Reinhold shoved his laptop into its bag and slung the bag over his shoulder as he and Byron grabbed each of Elinor's arms and rushed towards the most crowded area of the airport. As Dutch ran, Kristiana's hair spilled out from the hoodie and trailed down Dutch's back.

"Kristiana!" Basta shouted, his voice echoed around the full airport, causing many people to stare.

Dutch ran as fast as he could and Kristiana grabbed hold of his jacket in a desperate attempt not to fall. She glanced up and her sunglasses slipped from her face and fell to the floor. Basta was still running after her and shoving people out of his way.

"_Ehi voi, _stop! Stop _ora lo dire!_" Shouted a guard as he ran after the group; from her bouncy vintage point, Kris could see the guard lifting his walkie-talkie to his lips and heard him shout, "_Lo avere __difficoltà vicino cancello cinque!_" _**(Translation: Hey you stop! Stop now I say! I have trouble near gate five!)**_

"Shit, shit, shit," Dutch cursed as he glanced over his shoulder.

"Dutch-man!" Byron shouted, "Stel tilps pu!" (Let's split up.) He shouted in pig-latin.

"Sdnuos doog, ll'ew eb ni eht gnihtolc erots!" (Sounds good, we'll be in the clothing store!) Dutch shouted back.

A moment later Dutch set Kristiana down and pulled her into a clothing store. They rushed through the tiny shop and Dutch grabbed hold of a pair of cargo pants, a pink shirt, a newsies cap, and a pair of sneakers and shoved them to Kristiana before grabbing a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt, a pair of boots, and a fedora for himself. As Kris glanced towards the entrance Dutch continued to drag her through the aisles of clothing and shoved her into an empty changing room.

"Change quickly, and don't give him any b.s., I don't give a shit if you want to go back to Basta, because you're not. I love you, Kristiana, and because of that I'm putting my life, my partner's life, and Reinhold's life on the line, and now Elinor's too! So whatever you want to complain about – bite your tongue and be thankful that I love you and my friends are willing to risk their lives to save you! Be grateful for once! I want the old Kristiana back!" He growled as he shut the door and slipped into his own.

Kris stared at the bare changing room door in shock before quickly undressing and threw on the clothes that Dutch had given her.

"Did a man with a woman in over his shoulder just come in here?" Basta's voice loudly questioned from the front of the shop.

"A man and woman came in, but he wasn't carrying her. He was holding her wrist."

Kris jumped when the door to her changing room opened, Dutch walked in and quickly shut the door behind him. In his hands he held a pair of scissors.

"Let's be thankful some employee wasn't finished unloading new clothing yet."

"Wh-what are you going to do with those?" Kristiana asked in fear, though she had a strong suspicion that caused her to grip onto her hair.

"Kris, I have too. Basta's looking for a woman with _long_ hair. Believe me, a simple trim can change your appearance drastically."

"You haven't cut your hair!" She hissed.

"Not yet, mine's not long enough. When we're safely inside our hotel room I'll ask Byron to shave my head – will that provide you with some satisfaction?" He asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No," Kris snarled. "You say you want the old Kristiana back," she hissed, "Well I got news, buddy, she's dead. Gone."

"Kris, now is not the time-"

"It's Kristiana, I don't like being called 'Kris' anymore. 'Kris' died the moment she was raped, 'Kris' died when she learned the man she loved was freakin' Robin Hood!"

"Kristiana, you damned well know I couldn't have told you that!" Dutch hissed, "You wouldn't have believed me!"

"You should have tried!" She whispered back to him, "You should have tried! For pete's sake, you could have said you were writing a book and thrown it to me as a theory! So in some way I would have known! Besides, the only reason you're even with me right now is because of _her_!" She knelt down and grabbed the Robin Hood book from her purse and opened it up to the dog eared page with an illustration of Maid Marian on it. She watched as Dutch's eyes began to glaze with tears.

"I can't compete with a ghost, Robin." Kristiana whispered, "I realize that now, you've always…..I don't know, you've always been distant. I know you love me, and I love you….I really do. But at night…"

"What?" He asked.

Kristiana blinked rapidly, "At night when we were asleep you would always mutter her name….And more often than not, even after all this time, you call me Marian. I'm _not_ Marian, I'm Kristiana."

"I know that!"

"You may know that, Dutch…Robin," Kristiana replied as she pushed past him towards the door. "But your heart is convinced I'm her, that's why you chose me over Lucinda. Because I look like her," she handed Robin the book. "One day, if Mo….Ever reads Dustfinger back, make sure to give him your book and beg him to read you back. You need Marian, Robin Hood, and Marian needs you. I have my Robin Hood…Perhaps he's not a white knight, but deep down he _is_ a good man….And I do love him."

Robin shook his head, "Kristiana-"

"Robin, I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am that you and your friends flew across the world for me," she smiled as she pulled him into an embrace. "I love you for that and…..I love you, but I love Dutch more and now that I know he doesn't exist…."

Robin swallowed, "You can't love a man who is not real…."

Kristiana nodded, "I know Basta is fictional, well at least in a sense anyway, but he's real. He's not someone in disguise. Be who you are Robin Hood, and tell Byron and tell Reinhold. They'll understand. Now, it's my turn to save you my brave hearted warrior…."

"And remember that we will meet again in forever," Robin whispered as his eyes began to glaze with unshed tears. Those were the same words he and Marian would say to one another before she left to return to Nottinghamshire.

Kristiana paused, "And Robin, for what it's worth, Dutch – in a sense – was real too, because he's you. Just like you he's a good man with a strong sense of justice. Never stop being that man."

"What about your brother?"

"I'll see him again," Kristiana replied, "I know I will. I hope I'll return to America again one day too….And my intuition tells me that's going to be sooner than I think. Only, when I return, it will be with a husband and child." She gave a small smile, "Good bye Robin Hood and Dutch," she turned and opened the dressing room door enough to slip out then shut it behind her. She knew she had left a broken-hearted hero of legend in her wake, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't ever say yes to Robin Hood….Although, in truth, she would have loved too….She couldn't. Because she knew from her dreams he would be returning to his own story, and his heart should only belong to the one woman he had ever truly loved: Maid Marian. She couldn't steal Robin from Marian. Robin's heart needed to belong to Marian only, just like Kristiana's heart needed to belong to Basta only.

Basta was about to leave the story when Kristiana shouted his name, he turned and his eyes widened.

"Basta!" She beamed as she ran towards him with outstretched arms, "I managed to get away from them!"

"Kristiana!" He rasped with a smile as she ran into his arms. He held her in a tight hug and kissed her forehead, "I thought….I thought for a moment you didn't want to come back."

"No," Kristiana shook her head, "No….I just couldn't get away. Those men who were with Robin Hood are getting ready to return to America and Dutch…Robin Hood….He was just trying to do what he thought was right."

"But the engagement ring?"

"Was meant for Lucinda," she replied, "He was going to break up with me but he wasn't sure how to tell me. I uh, let him down the moment he took me."

"I'm going to find him –"

"No," Kristiana shook her head, "He's learned his lesson….All he wants to do now is return to his story. Let the man have that."

Basta paused and nodded, "We caught Silvertongue's daughter, Meggie, and she's in the back seat with an old man. They're seated between Fulvio and Fazio."

Kristiana nodded, now she had a new mission. Help Meggie to escape from the village and return to her father.

"Before we go," Basta smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out Kristiana's wedding ring. It caught the light and gave a bright twinkle before he slipped it onto her ring finger and kissed the top of her hand. "Really to go?"

"More ready than ever," Kristiana smiled as Basta wrapped his arm around her waist. As the two walked out of the airport together, Robin Hood located his friends and revealed his true identity. Byron, as Robin knew, already knew; however, Reinhold had nearly had a heart attack – Robin Hood had always been his hero since he was a little boy.

"_**Everybody's got the strength inside  
All it takes is time to realize  
That you and only you  
Can be the one to decide…."**_

"_**This is My Time" –Raven Symone-**_


	18. Yurlte the Turtle & Ares Secret

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters. I own Kristiana, Leigh, Fazio, and Lucinda. I do not own Captain Hook (or his quote), Thor, or Torrio. The black jacket Torrio was named after Al Capone's boss, Johnny Torrio. I threw this in for both DimensionalTraveller and Basta's Girl, who both seem to be head over heels with 1920's gangsters. :) **_

_**(A/N: Hey everyone, thank you all so much for the great reviews! They really helped me this week, my cousin passed away from bone cancer a few days ago and it's been really hard. I wrote this chapter especially for you guys because you helped me to smile. Thanks, guys! I owe you all. :-) **_

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"_**Oh, I hate being disappointed, Smee. And I hate living in this flawed body. And I hate living in Neverland. And I hate, I hate, I **__**hate**__** Peter Pan!" –Captain James Hook, "Hook" 1991-**_

As Meggie walked through the village beside Fenoglio terror and anger pounded in her heart. She was thankful Mo hadn't shown up, but part of her wished he had….Maybe he would have been able to read a book and a dashing hero would save them? She even wished Dustfinger had been there, he could have lit Basta on fire (though Meggie wasn't sure if he ever would do such a thing). The only comfort she found about being in this old and broken down village was the fact Fenoglio was with her, and Kristiana was there. Kristiana was nice and kind and kept her arm wrapped around Meggie, whenever they'd pass a fearsome looking black jacket Kristiana would pull her closer and whisper, "It's alright Meggie, that's just Torrio. He likes to think he's scary since his nose looks like a beak, but really he's harmless."

When Meggie saw the doors of the church once again her stomach felt full of butterflies. She was going to have to see Capricorn in his chair again, pretending to be the ruler of everyone and everything. He reminded her of _Yurtle the Turtle_, who climbed onto each animal to reach the top and see the land before him. However, Yurtle's living throne had tumbled down and all his 'subjects' left him, leaving him as a very lonely turtle in a very lonely swamp.

But Capricorn was different than Yurtle. For one thing, the Black Jackets were very loyal to him and Mo always said that, 'All black jackets would follow Capricorn to Hades and back, especially Basta, who worships the ground Capricorn walks on….'

Meggie looked up at Kristiana, would _she_ follow Capricorn to the underworld? Part of Meggie doubted it, since Kristiana had escaped with them and she loved Dutch. Or did she? When Basta and Flatnose walked out of the airport together, Kristiana had her arm around Basta and was smiling. She looked so happy and peaceful that it scared Meggie. Shouldn't that look have been for Dutch? Not Basta! But Mo always did say that love was like a whole bunch of little battles that formed a giant war and the war would end with either a kiss or two people leaving one another.

As they walked farther into the church Meggie saw the Magpie directing a group of black jackets who were holding onto a heavy new chair. Its legs, arms, and the rim of its high backing were all gold while the cushions were velvet red. _Capricorn likes the color red because it's the color of a king_, Meggie knew.

"Where's Capricorn, Mortola?" Basta rasped impatiently, and Meggie watched as his shoulders squared. She glanced at Kristiana but her body language hadn't changed. It was cool, calm, and collected. Then again, when she was back in Kristiana's apartment with Mo, he had said Kristiana had to be calm in order to survive and keep her sanity. _Kristiana is a very brave woman, Meggie. She has a strong will and a strong heart, she tries not to act afraid because she knows her husband and the rest of Capricorn's men will feed off that and terrify her even more._

The old magpie ignored him and focused on the men with the chair, "Over to the right, you fools!" The two men grimaced as their knees and arms shook under the weight of the heavy chair. After a long minute that seemed like hours the magpie nodded, "Yes, there, that will do." She turned and stared at Basta with a scrutinizing and almost mocking expression written across her face, "We expected you back before this."

"What do you mean?" Basta questioned in a raised voice, it was filled with uncertainty. The thought of Basta being in trouble made Meggie smile to herself; however, she noticed Kristiana's small frown.

"Kristiana, are you OK?" She whispered.

Kristiana looked down at her and smiled, "I'm fine, Meggie. How are you?"

"I'm OK," she replied and turned her attention back to Basta and Mortola.

"Do you know how many villages there were down this damn coast? And we weren't even sure whether Silvertongue was still in the area. Or if that blasted Robin Hood had taken _my wife_ back to Amery-Kay. But I can rely on my nose, and you see," he said, nodding in Meggie and Kristiana's direction, "I've done the job and I got back my wife!"

"You have gotten back your wife, true, but she was probably easy to retrieve seeing as she is smitten with you. But as for your job, you haven't done a thing! All I see is the girl and an old man. Where's her father?" Mortola placed her wrinkly and gnarled hands on her hips, which caused her white apron to crease and rumple. _Her apron looks just like her, old, ugly, and wrinkly!_ Meggie though to herself as the Magpie glanced at her. She tensed and felt as if the old woman could hear her thoughts, and as if sensing her fear, Kristiana pulled her close into a comforting and protective hug.

"He wasn't there, but he'll come after her. The girl's the best bait we could have."

"And how will he know she's here?"

"I left him a message," Basta replied with a snarl.

"Since when can _you_ write? Or did you have Kristiana do it for you?"

Meggie watched as Basta's shoulders raised and tensed with anger. "No, I left him my name. He won't need more than that to know where to find his precious little daughter. Tell Capricorn I'm shutting her in one of the cages." He turned and grabbed hold of the back of Meggie's neck and pushed Fenoglio ahead.

"Capricorn's not here and I don't know when he'll be back!" Mortola shouted, "But _I'm_ in charge until then, and in _my_ view, you haven't been doing your job recently as well as we expect!"

Basta turned so quickly that Meggie thought he had been bitten by a snake.

"First, you let Dustfinger steal a set of keys from you, along with your precious wife," she glanced at Kristiana, "Who may not be yours much longer. Then you lose our dogs and we have to send a search party out into the mountains for you, and now this! Give me your keys!" Mortola held out her palm expectantly.

"What?" Basta paled as he clutched his key with one hand while his arm wrapped around Kristiana's waist and he held her tightly.

"You heard. _I'm_ going to look after them: the keys to the cages, the crypt, and the fuel store. Bring them here."

Basta stood still, his hand on his keys and his arm still wrapped tightly around a nervous looking Kristiana.

"You have no right to my keys or my wife! Capricorn gave them to me," he squeezed Kristiana to him once again, "And he's the only one who can take them away again." He turned once again and glared at Meggie as if she were the cause of all his problems.

"And so he will! Your keys and Kristiana, he'll take back! He's wanted Kristiana for himself since Brenna ran off. He'll expect your report as soon as he gets back. Maybe he'll understand better than I do why you didn't bring Silvertongue."

Basta turned and let go of Kristiana to grab hold of Meggie and Fenoglio to lead them to the cages. He shoved poor Fenoglio into Cage number five and Meggie was terrified she would soon follow him. She didn't want to be in that cage, and she didn't want Fenoglio there either!

"Basta, can I take Meggie with me? I promise I won't let her out of my sight."

"No," Basta rasped, "I can't risk it! If what Mortola says is true, then I have to be careful or he'll take my keys and you away from me!"

"Basta," Kristiana said softly and Meggie admired her courage for daring to speak up to her angry and frightening husband. "Marriage doesn't work like that; one man can't take another's wife and say she's mine. It's not legal in any country in this world….At least, not that I'm aware of. I'm _yours_, and you're mine."

Meggie watched as Basta stared at her for a long moment and raised his hand to her cheek, Meggie wanted to scream. She was afraid he was going to hit her, instead he stroked the side of her face and kissed her.

"The little witch would run," he rasped.

"She won't run, Basta."

"She will."

"She won't."

Basta turned and glared at Meggie, "I'll allow you to go with my wife to Fulvio and Leigh's home, _where you must stay_ until I say otherwise. If you try to run or get my wife in trouble, I'll slit the old man's throat, understand?"

Meggie nodded, "But he's so lonely in there."

Basta barked out a laugh, "Trust me, he won't be lonely!" He slammed the door shut, "There's a woman in there with him, and Darius read her out of the book – once again – another voiceless woman." He rolled his eyes, "I believe she wrote on a slip of paper name was Lucinda."

Meggie glanced at Kristiana and saw her surprise expression. But she hid it a moment later and hugged her husband for a long minute.

"We'll be at Leigh's if you need me."

_**

* * *

**_

Meggie walked into the small house with Kristiana, unlike most of the other houses it wasn't quite as crumbled or worn down. The walls were decorated with mirrors, a clock, a few framed photographs, and hand painted decorations. It seemed kind and welcoming – a strange sight to see in Capricorn's village. She then noticed the bed in what should have been the living room; a small woman was lying on her side reading a book. She looked up and a shocked look crossed her face before she turned onto her back and propped herself up on her elbows.

"Kristiana? I thought you escaped this horrible place! Whose that with you?"

"Hi Leigh, I came back. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving you here alone," Kristiana replied as she gently tugged Meggie forward, "This is Meggie Folchart, a friend of mine. Do you remember the man they called Silvertongue?"

Leigh nodded.

"Meggie is his daughter," she smiled. "She's a very sweet little girl and I want to keep her close, because Flatnose is angry with her. I don't want to take any chances of him being able to harm her."

Leigh nodded, "A very wise idea, indeed. He came in here earlier yelling at Fulvio that he came too late in the afternoon. He's complaining that rats almost ate his toes! I think that giant deserves that! Of course, that's just between us," she giggled.

Meggie stared wide eyed as Kristiana laughed with her friend with a large and happy smile on her face. Confusion settled within her, did Kristiana really love Basta or did she return for just Leigh?

"Oh, the poor girl, she looks so confused!" Leigh pointed out.

Kristiana leaned over and turned on another lamp. The daylight was fading with another storm cloud, causing it become dark outside. She turned to Meggie, "What's bothering you, Meggie?"

"Did you come back for Leigh or Basta?"

"For both," Kristiana replied and turned to Leigh, "You're right about what you told me when we first met."

"What did I say?"

"That if I gave Basta time, he'd grow on me….And he did. I can't stand the thought of being away from him."

Leigh smiled, "Oh yes, that's love. That's what happened with me and my Fulvio." She patted the side of her bed, "Meggie, why don't you sit down?"

Meggie wanted to ask the woman why she was in bed, she looked healthy.

"Oh, I suppose you're wondering what I'm doing in here?"

Meggie blushed and gave a small nod.

"I'm pregnant, but the baby is having a hard time and I bleed when I stand…..Um, has your father discussed with you the birds and the bees?"

"He told me about a garden and that when men and women fall in love in it a stork brings a baby."

"Dear, oh dear," Leigh frowned. "Forget what I just said then, I'm here because I'm lazy."

"It doesn't work that way, Leigh," Kristiana replied as she turned to Meggie. "Meggie, is that really what your father told you?" She gave a skeptical look that reminded Meggie of the look Mo gave her when she was telling a lie.

Meggie glanced down and bit her lip and shook her head, "No….He told me the truth about what happens when men and women…Um…." She glanced away.

"OK, you know," Kristiana smiled. "I can see why you lied though, talking about….Really personal grown-up stuff like that makes me uncomfortable too sometimes."

"You're going to make such a wonderful mother, Kristiana." Leigh smiled and slowly frowned, "Brenna ran off three days ago."

"What?"

"She came by our house and told me how much she hated it here and that she wanted to be like you and run away…..So she did, and she hasn't returned."

Meggie glanced over at Kristiana, she looked upset. She looked back at Leigh and noticed the gloomy look on her face. Meggie didn't need to hear words to know what had happened, _Capricorn's black jackets caught her and killed her._ A moment later she found herself wrapped in Kristiana's arms with her hair being stroked. She hadn't realized she had been shaking.

* * *

Kristiana held Meggie to her and gently stroked her hair. Meggie was a smart young lady and she assumed what different looks meant. This time she had assumed correctly, Brenna was dead. Leigh leaned forward and held up a note she had written:

_Brenna didn't run away. Capricorn got tired of her and Ares didn't want her. Fazio and Torrio took her out to the woods and that was the last we ever saw of her. She's probably buried between the village's first cook and a maid who talked to the police too much._

Kristiana nodded sadly. Capricorn was an evil man and she would never be loyal to him. Her loyalty remained to her friends and her husband and her unborn child that was it. As Meggie started to calm down the front door opened and Fulvio walked in, Kristiana had to struggle to keep the girl in her arms from trying to run.

"No, no, Meggie! It's alright! Fulvio's not like the rest of them!" Kristiana and Leigh both assured.

"Silvertongue's daughter?" Fulvio questioned in puzzlement, "Leigh, I have walked in to rather odd sights these past few days, but this takes the cake….Is that the expression you use?"

Leigh nodded with a chuckle, "It is. Kristiana is watching over Meggie until Capricorn returns."

"Oh, well then, her wait is over. We just came back from another village we'll soon be moving too. It has electricity and is built better. Capricorn scared the residents off, so after Silvertongue reads out a friend of Capricorn's, we'll all be on our way."

"Fulvio, is it true about Brenna?" Kristiana asked as she stood.

"Regretfully it is," he replied. "The poor woman, her only crime was the fact she was unable to carry a child. Capricorn is currently searching for a new wife, but he's been speaking about you and how he's rather fond of you. If Basta messes up he'll punish him by having that government man who married you two divorce you two tonight."

Kristiana paled and felt sick, her head felt as if it was filled with bees. Capricorn's wife? Oh dear God, no! Being Ares's wife had to be better than being Capricorn's wife! She wouldn't leave Basta, she wouldn't! Her heart belonged to him!

"Kristiana!" Meggie shouted in terror.

"Fulvio, catch her!" Leigh cried out as she watched her friend fall backwards in a faint.

**

* * *

**

"You're slipping Basta!" Capricorn commented as soon as Basta entered the church with Kristiana. He wanted to see the two alone, and then he would deal with the girl and the old man.

Kristiana swallowed as she clutched her husband's hand, she was terrified and she could no longer hide it. She knew Basta knew this as well. He glanced over at her, a look of concern on his face. There was a good chance Kristiana would become Mrs. Capricorn if things continued along this path of chaos.

"I hate being disappointed, Basta, and you know this." Capricorn said softly and calmly, "You've seen others who have failed and have witnessed their fates. You are my best black jacket, why do you choose now to slip? Is it because your attention is now divided?" He looked at Kristiana.

"No, Capricorn," Basta replied as he hung his head.

"Then _why_ are you screwing up?"

Basta swallowed, "It's not my fault – "

"Basta, what is my rule about blame?"

Kristiana watched as her husband gave a nervous gulp and replied, "Don't blame other people or situations for one's screw ups. If you did something dumb or wrong it's your own fault and you alone must take the blame."

Kristiana glanced up to see the Magpie, who was standing beside Capricorn's chair, give a triumphant smile.

"Give your keys to Mortola, Basta."

"What….Why?"

Capricorn glared at him and Basta tensed before he grabbed his keys off his belt and handed them to Mortola with a sneer. He turned to grab Kristiana and leave when Capricorn ordered him to halt.

"I am not finished," Capricorn exclaimed as Ares walked into the room. Kristiana looked up at Capricorn's son; this was the first time she had actually seen him this close. He was tall with long and braided pale blonde hair. His eyes were golden in color; his face looked as if it had been chiseled from stone. He had no facial hair Kristiana could see, but to her surprise he didn't look as cruel as everyone said he was. But then again, one could never judge a book by its cover. Because someone was pretty and looked kind on the outside didn't mean that they were this way on the inside.

"When you won the competition, Basta, you won it fair and square though you weren't supposed too. Kristiana was to go to my son," he motioned to Ares. "You surprised me and I was very proud of you the day you took down every black jacket and won Kristiana as your bride. However, that fierce warrior who was willing to do anything for the prize is gone now. Is that because you have the prize?"

"No – "

"Do not interrupt my father," Ares said in a soft tone of voice.

Basta hung his head once again.

"I gave you Kristiana even though my son badly wanted her. She's one of the most beautiful women this village has seen in a long time. She resembles Lady Luck, does she not?"

Kristiana watched as her husband glanced at Capricorn and Ares. When he decided it was safe for him to speak, he did.

"She does, very much so. Her red hair is lucky in our world…." He glanced over at Kristiana and his hand squeezed hers tightly.

"Basta, prizes stay with the men who deserve them always. You deserved her until you slipped up, for this not only are your keys being taken from you," he gestured to Cockerell and Fazio, who both were covered in soot. They walked forward and grabbed each of Kristiana's arms.

"Let me go!" She shouted with a struggle.

"Get your filthy hands off her!" Basta growled as he grabbed his knife and slashed out at Cockerell and sliced his forearm open. He grabbed Kristiana away from a shocked Fazio and wrapped his arms protectively around her.

Kristiana wrapped her arms around him and prepared to fight, no one could treat her like some object! She wanted to stay with her husband, and by Thor she would!

Capricorn's eyebrow rose, "Yes, now I see the problem. Cockerell, Fazio, go clean yourselves up. Have a maid tend to that wound," he gestured for the two scowling men to leave. He turned and glared at Basta, "You have fallen in love with Kristiana, and in turn she has fallen in love with you. This will work to my advantage." He paused, "Basta this man," he gestured to the government official who had been practically carried in by Flatnose, "Will divorce you from your wife, and you must prove to me you're worthy to have such a prize. Until then, she will live in my home as Ares's fiancé. Basta, you are dismissed."

"But…No! Capricorn, please! Don't do this!"

Capricorn motioned for Flatnose and the giant dropped the man he had been hauling into the room, leaving three guards to watch him. He scooped Kristiana off the floor and carried over to Capricorn and Ares. Her kicks and punches did nothing to stop or slow him down. He set her down beside Ares, who took her hand in his. He then gave a smile, bent, and kissed the top of her hand.

"Father, I would like to court my fiancé. May I take her down to the lake?"

"Go," Capricorn replied as he glared at Basta with a look of disappointment.

As Ares and Kristiana passed Basta she whispered to him, "I'll always love you, Basta, and you alone! So help me, I'll find us a way out of this!"

**

* * *

**

As Ares stopped in front of the lake he turned to Kristiana and sighed, "Thank God, I thought I'd never be away from that Hell hole!"

"P-Pardon?" Kristiana asked in shock as she stared at Capricorn's son. His entire demeanor had changed, as had his tone of voice.

"I made sure to let my father know I still wanted you, I wish Basta hadn't won. I'm sorry you came back, I was really hoping you'd be able to escape this place. Believe me, if I could escape my life, I would."

Kristiana's eyebrows rose, "Are you tricking me?"

Ares looked back at her, "No tricks and no jokes. I don't like women. I mean, I like women as _friends_," he blushed, "But not as lovers…." He glanced towards the village and Kristiana was shocked to see Fazio climbing up the hill. Ares gave a sigh and smiled, "There is my handsome man now."

Kristiana's jaw dropped. Ares had wanted her so he could protect her and get her to safety! He had never married a woman before because he was gay!

"So wait, you were trying to protect me by telling your father you wanted me?"

"Shh, lower your voice," Ares hissed, "Yes, and when we're with Fazio my name is Fred. I hate the name Ares, my father thought it would be manly and I would grow to be a powerful man like he was. Though, in truth, he was _never_ this powerful back in our world. He was a henchman for the Adderhead and anyone else who would hire him." He looked towards her, "o you really love Basta?"

"I do, so very, very much." She replied honestly.

He nodded, "Then, I'll see to it that you and him will spend time together outside of the village once a day. Fazio and I will come with you as 'guards' and you will do laundry. Behind the cover of the clothing, sheets, and blankets, you two can do whatever you want….As long as you turn your backs to allow Fazio and I do to whatever we want," he replied with a large smile as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Kristiana laughed, "Each time I've seen you I always thgouht….Well…Um…."

"I believe the term in this world is 'straight'. I pride myself on being a good actor, but never tell my father what I told you. He won't think twice of killing me because if he heard of this, it would wound his pride."

Kristiana shook her head, "I would never tell him. I'm just so sorry that you're prisoner to your own father."

Ares shrugged, "We're all prisoners to someone during some point of our lives. Some people are prisoners to their jobs and bosses; others are trapped in relationships they don't want; and yet some people make the best out of life and learn to love the ones they used to hate," he smiled to her before turning and running to Fazio.

Kristiana watched in shock as the two men hugged and shared a long kiss. "Alright, I've officially gone insane," Kristiana muttered to herself in shock.


	19. Sir Guy & Bastas Tears

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters they belong to Cornelia Funke. I own Kristiana, Leigh, Fazio, and Ares. I do not own Guy of Gisborne he's from BBC Robin Hood. **_

_**The saying "Oh My Lanta" is used with permission from Mew Cinda, thanks Mew Cinda! :)**_

_**And Basta's Girl, could you help me with Guy's character for the next chapter? Thank you. :) **_

_**(A/N: Hey everyone, this chapter was a little rushed….It's been a really sad and hectic week with my cousin's funeral. This chapter was a little hard to write, but overall I think I did alright. :) Thank you guys so much again for all the great reviews, they really help make a gloomy day better!)**_

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_**"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you." **_

_**-Winnie the Pooh-**_

It had been a week since Capricorn had divorced Kristiana and Basta, and Kristiana hated the separation. However, the few secret visits she had with him every few days at the edge of the village helped to ease the pain. It never ceased to amaze her how only a few weeks ago she hated her husband and wished for this to happen; now, her heart broke of the possibility she would be married to Ares. But her heart didn't only break for her loss, but for her "fiancé's" loss as well. He and Fazio loved each other so much and showed it with every chance they got.

Yesterday, she had been washing the clothing that Basta had purchased for Meggie and accidently caught Ares and Fazio just behind the tree line. The two had little clothing on and before she could see anymore of the two's 'dance' she turned away and blushed. After she pinned the clothing onto the clothes line and scurried back into town, Flatnose had cornered her and demanded to know why she was blushing. To cover for Ares and Fazio, she said Ares had informed her of what he had planned for their wedding night. Flatnose laughed and patted her back before sending her on her way.

Now, Ares owed her. The next time Basta wasn't filled with chores she wanted her time with him.

Kristiana was involved with her thoughts that she jumped when Fazio tapped her shoulder. She turned towards him with wide eyes.

"Capricorn wants to see you in the church now. Silvertongue's daughter read a man out from the Robin Hood book; he won't speak to anyone but the lady of the village….And well, since you are due to wed Ares soon…" Fazio winced at this, his expression filled with pain at imagining the loss of the man he loved, "Capricorn believes you are the lady of this village."

Kristiana nodded, "I will be at the church very soon," she gathered clean sheets and blankets from the clothes line and folded them as quickly and neatly as possible before putting them into a straw laundry basket. _Meggie read someone out of the Robin Hood book? Perhaps it will be someone looking for Robin? At least I can tell this person in secret what I know, that Robin is safe._

She rushed back into the village and handed a maid the basket, asking her to put the sheets away in Ares's closet. As she reached the church, two black jackets opened the door for her and bowed. Her face turned beat red as she acknowledged them with a nod. Since she was marrying into Capricorn's family, she had gone from servant to practically royalty. However, she wasn't comfortable with this feeling and continued doing her daily chores. One day she would be back with Basta and they'd never have to worry about being separated again.

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Shocked was not the word to express what Sir Guy of Gisborne was feeling at that very moment. His icy blue eyes took in the scenery around him for what seemed to be the hundredth time. He stood in middle of a church that was painted with a blood red color; the altar had been removed and where it had once stood was a golden chair like thrown with a colorless gaunt man wearing strange yellow clothing with a red strip tied around his neck. He had referred to the garment as a tie. _This church would be enough to make Vaysey shudder._

When the heavy doors opened, Guy turned to see the visitor. His eyebrows arched in interest. The person walking in was a short woman with bright red hair and dark eyes, eyes so dark he was almost certain they were black. She was pale with rosy cheeks and a long nose that ended with a small curve. Her lips weren't thin nor were they large, but somewhere in between. She reminded him slightly of Marian with the way she carried herself, the only difference was Marian was not pregnant. This woman had only a slight bump on her abdomen that revealed she was with child. He watched as she bowed to the pale man.

"Kristiana, this man is from a book you are very familiar with….Robin Hood. I do not know his name; I only know he is loyal to the Sheriff of Nottingham."

Gisborne noticed the man was very agitated as he said this and it took all his control not to smirk. This colorless man angered him for some reason. Perhaps it was because he just as idiotic and pompous as Vaysey was? Gisborne focused his attention on the woman, she didn't seem to be very strong and it would be easy to grab her and drag her away from the village. She was his key to freedom, but first he needed to be sure all the men in this church cared for her. If only one or two had interest in her, then it wouldn't be worth taking her since the others would gladly kill her to get to him.

He knew for certain the blonde man behind the colorless man had some sort of feelings for this woman, Kristiana (an odd name, Gisborne noticed; yet everyone in this church seemed to have strange names). He also noticed the short man with dark brown hair holding a knife had extremely strong emotions for Kristiana. Since the woman entered the church, his eyes never left her and looked ready to spring to action if anyone so much as touched her. _Two men who are both in love with the same woman….Again, Marian returns to haunt me. _Since Robin Hood had disappeared years ago, Lady Marian had become very quiet and one day vanished; it was just a pity it was her who vanished and not the Night Watchman.

"Hello, Sir Gisborne," the woman gave a small curtsey, "I am Kristiana..." She paused and glanced towards the man with the knife, "…I am Kristiana MacHowlan. I understand your arrival in our world was quite abrupt and unexpected, would you like to sit down?"

Gisborne stared at her, not once did his woman back away from him or show any signs of nervousness or fear. Women back in his 'world' all backed away from him, whether they knew him or not. They all sensed the inky black tendrils of evil around him. Yet, this woman seemed immune to this evil. Guy assumed it was because this church was filled with the same darkness that practically consumed him.

"I am fine," he replied gruffly, "I would like to know where I am."

"You're in a different place…." Kristiana paused, "You really should sit for this," she warned.

"I have no need to sit, I would advise you to drop the mention of sitting altogether." His patience was wearing thin with these people. He needed to return to his own 'world' and get the Sheriff's treasure back from that traitor, Allan O'Dale.

The woman held her hands in front of her, "Fine, fine. I won't mention it again. You're in the year 2010, you're in Italy, and you're in Capricorn's village. The man in the chair is Capricorn, he is the leader of this village and he is very powerful. He is to be shown respect at all times starting with a bow."

"I'm in the future and am expected to bow to a gaunt albino who resembles a banana?" Guy threw back his head and laughed. This was the only entertainment he had received since entering this world. When he looked again at Kristiana his heart jumped into his throat. The men in black jackets encircled him, they pointed cross bows and strange weapons that resembled metal sticks at him. He swallowed, obviously the lady of the village had been serious when she said Capricorn was powerful and to be respected. He turned towards the albino and held up his hands.

"Please forgive my rudeness. I have been around the Sheriff of Nottingham far too long." With saying this he watched as the pale man gestured to his men. They put away their weapons and backed away. Guy gave the man, Capricorn, a deep bow.

"I will forgive you this once for that act since you are new to _my_ world. Now who are you?"

"I am Sir Guy of Gisborne. I am the Sheriff of Nottingham's personal knight as well as bodyguard when we are in public."

"You are his henchman," Capricorn translated, "What use are you to me?"

Guy squared his jaw. Capricorn reminded him of Vaysey; evil, controlling, and above all arrogant. However, this man was just as powerful as Vaysey, if not more.

"I am an excellent killer, I am a good thief, and I am incredibly loyal to those I serve. If you wish for me to serve you, my loyalty would lie unto you only."

"And if the Sheriff were to appear in this room?"

"I'd kill him if you asked me too," Guy lied. From the look of this man he was going to have lie about many things and be careful not to be caught lying.

Capricorn studied him and turned to his men, "Give him the trial by fire. If he succeeds and he proves his loyalty to me, he will replace Basta."

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Kristiana's heart lunged at Capricorn's words. If this man in front of her succeeded the trial by fire and proved his loyalty to Capricorn….Then he would replace Basta. That could only mean one thing: Basta would be killed and Guy would be permitted to live. NO!

Kristiana turned towards Capricorn with terror in her eyes. She waited until the knight was escorted out of the church to a cage before she walked up the altar and bowed to her future father-in-law.

"Yes Kristiana, what is it?" He questioned as he studied his fingernails. He looked past her towards a black jacket, "Fetch Mortola for me, I need my nails clipped and manicured."

The black jacket bowed before walking out of the church.

Kristiana looked at Capricorn for a long moment. She was terrified for her husband's well being, but she didn't want to get him killed early with her question and her pleas. Capricorn liked begging from those who were cowardly, but he despised it from individuals who were courageous.

"Capricorn…Sir, Basta is a very strong man – "

"Basta is no longer any concern of yours," Capricorn replied softly. "You are to be my daughter-in-law within the next few days, Kristiana. However, I cannot guarantee this 'Sir Guy' will stay in my village, and I would like to keep him here. The book states he is very intelligent and cunning. I need that type of person as my main black jacket, and as…What does this world call the person you trust the most if he is male? Not best friend…."

"Right hand man," Kristiana replied softly as her heart began to shatter. No! She had to fight for Basta! Damn it, Basta fought for her and she would fight for him! She would even go as far to ask Capricorn for another competition and she would defeat every black jacket to win the prize of that competition, Basta.

"Yes, right hand man. _If_ and when that time comes I will decide what to do with Basta."

Kristiana stared at him, "Capricorn, I am not begging or asking you….I am telling you if you decide to kill Basta then I will find a way to make your life –"

"Do you dare threaten me?" He questioned, his eyes seemed as cold as ice while his voice was as sharp as a knife.

"To save my husband I'd gladly threaten you, Mortola, and anyone else I could think of. Then I would even go as far to drown each and every one of you in gasoline and throw a lit match on you!"

Capricorn studied her for a long moment. Kristiana squared her shoulders and attempted to hide her fear. She didn't consider actions to be a mistake, Basta had saved her life several times and now she was going to save his….Even if it meant dying in his place. To her surprise Capricorn smiled and began to laugh, shocking her and Ares both.

"When Basta suggested I make you a black jacket I thought the idea was ridiculous, but now I see why he suggested it. You would make a _good_ black jacket, but you will make an _excellent_ Capricorn." He reached forward and took her hand, "Ares, you will be marrying an excellent woman, who is very worthy of the last name of Capricorn." He kept a tight hold on her hand, "Kristiana, as my wedding gift to you I will keep your husband alive and he will become Sir Guy's personal servant if he passes the trial and proves to me his loyalty. Ares, take your fiancé and bring her to the maids and the seamstress. They are to alter my mother's wedding dress. Tomorrow night, you both are to wed."

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"Damn it, Kristiana!" Ares raged an hour later as he paced the hill behind the clothing line. Fazio followed him and attempted to calm him while Kristiana stood with her arms crossed. Basta stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist.

"It isn't my fault!"

"Oh, the hell it wasn't!" Ares raged as tears brimmed in his eyes. "Fazio and I both knew our days together were numbered and now they are going to end sooner than soon! All because of you!"

"I was protecting the man I love!" Kristiana replied as she stood straight and grabbed Basta's hands and held them. The thought of Basta being killed had ripped her heart out of her chest.

"You should have let me talk to my father! I could have gotten him to agree to making Basta Guy's servan—" He started and the group jumped when Capricorn's house caught on fire.

"What the Hell?" Basta rasped, he turned Kristiana and kissed her, "Stay here with Ares! I have to see what's going on!"

"What in Hades?" Fazio questioned as he pulled Kristiana beside him, "Who would set the village on fire?"

"Dustfinger perhaps?" Kristiana suggested.

"I don't think so, he's much too cowardly," Ares frowned. The trio watched as black jackets scurried around the village and jumped when Lucinda dashed out of the kitchen with a booklet of matches in hand. Kristiana lurched forward to get to her; she could help the woman towards the tree line and to freedom. However, before she could closer to Robin Hood's FBI boss, Ares and Fazio grabbed each of her arms.

"No!" Ares shook his head, "She deserves what she gets!"

"No, please Ares! Dutch – Robin Hood – Loves her!"

"And I love Fazio and you love Basta. Life isn't fair Kristiana, we can't always get what we want," Ares said softly with a frown. "Shit, look out!" He suddenly cried out as Cockerell began to shoot at the woman as she ran up the hill towards them. Everyone knew Cockerell was a terrible shot and it was very often he missed his target.

Kristiana began to duck when one of Cockerell's stray bullets pierced through her causing a moment of extraordinary pain before she fell to the ground in a faint.

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Basta heard Ares's shout and ran up the hill after shooting Lucinda in the shoulder. The bullet had gone straight through and the wound wouldn't kill her, it would cause her a large amount of pain though. He jumped over the fallen woman and ordered Flatnose to take her into a cage and retrieve the doctor in the nearest village to tend to her wound. He ran through the wall of clothing a minute later and his stomach flipped at the sight before him. His heart felt as if his own knife had stabbed him and Dustfinger had set it on fire.

Ares was kneeling on the ground holding Kristiana across his lap, his eyes wide with horror. Her white blouse was soaked with bright red blood and the patch of blood continued growing. Basta ran over and shoved him away.

"Kristiana!" He shouted and looked down at her, damn it was she unconscious! He ripped open her blouse and prayed the bullet hadn't struck their child. He felt a slight relief when he saw her stomach was alright. But when he saw her chest his stomach twisted. Cockerell's bullet had pierced her only inches from her heart. "Oh shit…Oh no…."

"She….She turned when she heard the fire and then I didn't see what happened….I…..I was down on the ground with Fazio!" Ares sobbed. Basta glared at him with a sneer.

"Shut up, Ares! You're a damned coward! You wouldn't have saved my life and Kristiana knew it. She saved you and Fazio yesterday! She saw you both in the woods there and she lied to protect you both, and in turn what do you do? You leave her and her child to Cockerell's bullet!"

"We told her to get down, it's not our fault she's slow!" Fazio shouted as he came to the defense of his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around the crying Ares.

"You idiot!" Basta snarled, "She was slow because she couldn't flop onto your stomach like you all can! She's carrying a baby within her body! You both don't have that burden, and you both should think about that."

"Basta!" Flatnose shouted as he ran under the clothes line. When his eyes fell on the sight before him his jaw dropped, "Oh shit."

"Go get a doctor!" Basta shouted, "Get Capricorn! Tell him Kristiana has been shot!" He watched as Flatnose stared for a long minute. Damn the giant for being slow! "GO!" The giant jumped out of his trance at the shout and ran back into the village and shouted at the top of his lungs for the black jackets to kidnap a doctor and quick….Basta's wife had been shot and was dying.

Basta cursed at Flatnose's choice of words. Didn't he know that saying someone was going to die was unlucky and it cursed that person? His wife needed all the luck she could get at the moment (to Basta Kristiana would always be his wife and didn't care what Capricorn said). He shrugged off his jacket and laid it across Kristiana's chest and pressed down on the wound in hopes to stop the bleeding. It wasn't until a group of black jackets arrived and took Kristiana from him that he realized something was falling down his cheek. He blinked in confusion and slowly lifted his fingers to his cheek, when he moved his fingers away and looked down he was shocked to see a tear.

"Oh-My-Lanta," Ares said in awe, "Basta….You're crying."

Basta turned towards him, "So?" He snarled.

Ares continued to stare at him for a long minute before speaking again, "Basta….When a person is consumed with hate and darkness, as you were, they don't cry because they are too angry too. But when that person allows light into their life and allows their heart to feel again….It means they have found a spark of hope….A spark of light that allows them to feel love and happiness again. Basta, Kristiana was….is more than some woman that you call 'wife'….You truly love her, you love her so much that she gave you hope."

Basta glared at him and Fazio for a long moment. He was astounded, in truth he had known he loved Kristiana….But he wasn't aware just how true and deep that love really was. Now he knew….Ares was right. Kristiana was his light and his hope. She was his candle in the darkest of nights. She kept him strong and kept him from giving up. She even rescued him from himself on several occasions, though she wasn't aware that she had done so. He swallowed and looked at Ares.

"Tell no one of this or what I am about to ask you to do."

"We won't say a thing," Ares vowed.

"Convince your father to wed Kristiana and I again."

"Basta…."

"Do it!"

"Basta-"

"You're not going to do it?" Basta snarled, "That doesn't surprise me! What the Hell do you care? She's not Fazio!"

"BASTA!" Ares and Fazio shouted in unison.

"What?"

Ares glared at him, "Tell him yourself! You're loyal to her, and your tears are proof. That kind of loyalty goes towards my father as well. He will make sure you both are remarried as soon as possible. That loyalty just saved your life _and_ your job. Go to my father now before you stop crying! Hurry!"

Basta nodded and ran towards Capricorn's church. He barged through the doors to find Sir Guy of Gisborne observing a shotgun. Basta's heart fell to his stomach.

"Basta, I heard about Kristiana…." Capricorn started, "Are you _crying_?"

"Yes, Capricorn, I am." Basta replied, proud of his tears.

Capricorn studied him for a long moment, "You are very loyal to Kristiana. If it were me in that position would you cry and do all you could to save me?"

"I'd rip out my heart and give it to you," Basta replied truthfully.

Capricorn looked at Guy, "And you?"  
"I…I would find a doctor…" The knight replied in shock.

Capricorn studied the men for a long minute, "Sir Guy of Gisborne, you will be serving under Basta as one of my black jackets." He turned to Fulvio, "Go get that government man and have him remarry Basta and Kristiana. Tell him that Kristiana says yes to all those boring vows."

Fulvio bowed, "Yes Capricorn," he turned and as he walked past Basta he whispered, "Glad you cried, I can't stand that Gisborne fellow. He keeps calling Capricorn Vaysey and refers to me as a messenger."


	20. Lucindas Escape & The Oak Tree

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters. I own Kristiana, Daniel, Kris, and Dutch.**_

_**(A/N: Hi everyone, I am so sorry it took me this long to update. :-( Life just kept getting in the way each time I turned around. :-) Thank you all so much for all the awesome reviews. And thank you for adding me to your favorite story/author lists, that means a lot to me. Here is the next chapter.)**_

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Lucinda had merely made it into the tree line when she heard Basta's shout. The terror that caused her blood to run cold caused her to stumble to a halt. The cry Capricorn's main henchman had given was one of pain and anger….It was the cry that made a person's skin crawl. She turned and was shocked to find the black jackets had ceased their pursuit, instead they were all gathering around a long clothing line. _But why?_

Not that she minded no longer being chased – if anything, she was thankful. For a minute she thought for certain she would be shot and buried out in the woods. _Just another nameless victim claimed by a man who should be nothing more than a name on paper._ Swallowing nervously, she glanced towards the woods. She could get away and make her escape now, find Dutch, and get the hell out of Italy. If the CIA wanted to come in for "intelligence gathering" at Capricorn's village, then by all means she'd let them. Let _them_ deal with the crazy albino, people reading others out of books, let _them_ be the ones to be standing in munchkin town pointing at the yellow brick road!

But none the less, curiosity won and Lucinda edged forward but stayed away from the trees closest to the village. She hid behind one of the many twisted and gnarled olive trees and watched as Basta stood, his shirt and jacket stained with blood. _Whose blood? Maybe another black jacket's I hope!_ She watched as the black jackets began moving slowly, it wasn't until they were about to turn as a group that she saw a flash of red hair. Her stomach churned when Basta snapped at the men and came over to support the person's head. Just for a quick second she saw her face….Kristiana.

"Oh dear God no," she whispered. If anything happened to Kris, Dutch would be crushed! Where was Dutch? She hadn't found him in the cages, he hadn't been anywhere in the village. A black jacket with an eye patch had distracted a giant black jacket for her allowing her time to escape. However, eye-patch had told her Dutch was no longer in the village. Was that true? He'd never leave Kris behind, he loved her…._He dumped me for her._ She swallowed and tried to push back the roller coaster of emotions that swirled throughout her body: Fear, anger, and a broken heart.

Taking a deep breath Lucinda shut her eyes. It was her job to protect innocent people, but she couldn't….Not after what she had just gone through and experienced. She had just been read into _The Wizard of Oz_ for Pete's sake! That didn't happen! It was supposed to be impossible, but yet….Somehow, it was possible and it had happened to her.

With a shake of her head, Lucinda whispered, "I'm sorry, Kris….But I can't stay here to save you….I can't, I have to save myself now….I'll find Dutch and save him. I hope you're alright." She turned and ran into the forest, hoping to never see Capricorn, Basta, or that damned accursed village again.

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"You do know you have altered your path for eternity….You sent the man you loved away in place of a man who forced you to love him." Daniel said softly as he wrapped his arm around his sister and held her to him protectively.

Kristiana leaned into her older brother, "I know….But, truth be told….Something changed. At first….All I could think of was returning to Dutch, I wanted nothing more than to run back into his embrace and never look back. But when I was back at my apartment….I started to miss Basta…."

"Sometimes the heart knows better than the mind." Daniel exclaimed as he helped his sister sit down on an old tree stump.

"How did I get to the forest behind mom's house?"

"You were shot….I could feel it, I meditated and went on a spirit walk until I found you. Tell me, how do you feel?"

"What do you mean? I feel like a horrible person for letting Dutch go the way I did….The man flew across the world to save me and I….Turned him away like he was an old sock or something." Kristiana shook her head as tears brimmed in her eyes. She wasn't sure why she was thinking of all this now. But the moment she felt a pain pierce her chest her life began to flash past her eyes so quickly.

Daniel put his hand on her shoulder and squatted down in front of her, his dark brown eyes filled with love and concern. "No, Kris, I did not mean emotions; though I am glad you share them with me….You should share them….I mean." He paused, "When you are dreaming, you feel like you are walking on a cloud, _Hau_?" _(Hau is what Lakota men say for "hello" and "yes.")_

"_Han,_" Kristiana nodded. _(Han is what Lakota woman say for "hello" and "yes.")_

"Do you feel as if you are walking on a cloud….Or do you feel like there is solid ground under your feet?"

Kristiana paused, "I feel like my feet are slightly above the ground….Like the ground is there but only the very tips of my toes are touching it."

Daniel nodded, "I see…."

"Why?"

He paused and sighed, "Kristiana, I do not wish to scare you….But if you no longer feel the ground on your toes then it means your body has died."

"Died? I can't die!" Her eyes widened in terror, "I'm pregnant! I need to be here for Basta! I….Leigh! Leigh needs me, and I don't want…"

"Kristiana!" Her brother shook her until her eyes widened and she stared at him. "What did our mother tell us? When it is time for one to go…"

Kristiana swallowed and sniffled, "…then the Great Spirit will let them know. Mother said a spirit guide would come to us, and dad said there would be an angel."

Daniel smiled and nodded, "And so far, I do see neither. I feel you are at a crossroads, and you must be the one to decide whether to stay or go."

"Well, naturally I want to stay!"

"Perhaps your mind is saying this, but your spirit seems unsure. Why is this?"

"My spirit is just as sure as I am!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow, "I see uncertainty upon your face. What is troubling you, Kristiana?"

Kristiana sighed, "I told Dutch that 'Kris' was dead. I think the only reason I told him this is because Basta likes my full name…And I used to only like being called 'Kris' but….I have to admit I do like my full name and I do feel that part of me has died. I just don't know if that is good or bad."

"That's what I am seeing," he muttered. "I feel 'Kris' is still very much alive in you and is ready to come out of the dark prison you have trapped her in. I believe that she too loves Basta very much. I also think 'Kris' is your key to surviving."

"What do you mean?"

Daniel paused, "Kristiana, 'Kris' is your female-warrior-spirit. She is wild and free and does not take well to prisons or chains. I am sure you remember your first night in the village?"

Kristiana shuddered, "How could I ever forget? I was trapped; everywhere I turned there were men ready to catch me. I began to understand how a hunted animal felt."

"That is the feeling you had when you first entered the village….It is a feeling you must continue to have. You have gotten to comfortable with the black jackets' ways, you have come to accept Capricorn as a second father and never question him."

"I don't do that –" She started and paused. When was the last time she had truly questioned Capricorn or truly tried to fight her way out of the village? She didn't need to depend on Ares for anything; she could do a lot more for herself without him. If she had depended on herself and had faith in herself, she could have changed Capricorn's mind. Leaning forward as the realization struck her; Kristiana looked over at her brother, "I lost faith in myself. I stopped believing in myself, and because of that I handed my freedom on a silver platter to Capricorn."

Daniel nodded, "Yes, you did. However, you never gave him your full freedom; you chose to go back to the village with your own free will. That was 'Kris' helping you, if you allow that part of yourself back into your life, you will change again and this time for the better."

Kristiana nodded in agreement, "But how?"

He shrugged and pointed to her right, "Ask her."

Kristiana turned and jumped. Another version of her was sitting cross legged on the ground and staring at her. Unlike Kristiana, she had dark red skin, the same shade as Daniel's. Her eyes were dark brown and her hair black. _Mother said each spirit has two parts: The calm and rational and the Wild and Free….Both must work together to become one._ Kristiana realized this was her time to become one with herself again.

"Hello….Kris," she smiled.

"Kristiana," she greeted. "Why did you cast me away?"

"I didn't."

"You did," Kris replied, though she didn't seem angry but hurt. "By casting me aside you killed a part of yourself. You are me, sister, and I am you. We are Yin and Yang, different but we complete one another."

Kristiana wrung her hands together nervously, "I'm so sorry, Kris."

"I could have helped you to escape, but I did not want to leave Basta either. I love him as well. Did you notice in the airport how our battle ended?"

"The side of me that wanted to be with Dutch…."

"That was you," Kris replied as she climbed to her feet and walked over to a tree and placed a hand on the bark. "Do you recognize this tree, sister?"

Kristiana looked up at it, "Of course, it is the mighty Oak tree that Daniel and I used to climb as children."

"Oaks are strong and powerful, yet they are humble and quiet. They do not show their strength until mighty storms force them too. They stand tall and proud and will not allow themselves to become uprooted without a fight. That is how you and I have always been, and I miss this. I loved Dutch, but I did not love him as a lover but as a brother."

"That's why you were fighting to get back to him, because Dutch meant safety and freedom."

"Yes," Kris nodded. "But soon, I realized you and I both could have that same freedom if we stopped running from the truth: We love Basta and wish to spend our entire life with him."

Kristiana nodded in agreement, "I never want to leave him or our child," she placed a hand over her stomach.

"Do you wish to be like the Oak Tree again, strong yet humble? Together we can once again have co-existence. We both need each other…And the baby needs the both of us."

Kristiana nodded and stood and reached her out towards Kris, "I'm so sorry that I cast you aside like old fish, forgive me sister?"

Kris beamed, "How could I not forgive myself?" She laughed as she took Kristiana's hand. Daniel watched from behind another Oak Tree as Kris began to glow and suddenly vanished into thin air, but from the expression on his sister's face, Daniel knew her spirit had become one with itself again. She would survive.

He walked forward and pulled Kristiana into his embrace, knowing this would be one of the last times he would be able to do so except for those rare occasions when they both were dream walking at the same time.

"I will miss you, Kristiana."

"I'll find a way to come visit you, so don't go off saying your good-bye's so soon," she smirked with a twinkle in her eyes. Daniel laughed, he hadn't seen that smile or twinkle in weeks. Yes, Kristiana was at one with herself again. She was spiritually healthy. She would be just fine.

"Shall I make accommodations for you and your husband to come visit my home soon?"

"Maybe and probably, because one way or another I am getting that man on an airplane!" Kristiana laughed before her spirit began to slowly fade away.

"I love you!" Daniel smiled.

"And I love you too, big brother."

"Squirt," he teased.

"Know-it-all," she winked before she vanished from the spirit world. Daniel smiled, he missed her already but he knew he'd be seeing her again.

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It had been a week since Kristiana was shot, for one week she had been in a coma. Basta paced her hospital room and wondered what the people in this world did when they were uncertain if the person they loved would live or die. He had heard Kristiana whispering words such as, _"Our Father who art in Heaven…."_ Leigh had told him this was a Catholic prayer. Were those the words he needed to say for Kristiana to wake up?

Before he could wonder anymore he heard a small moan, he turned towards the hospital bed and his heart skipped a beat. Kristiana's eyes were blinking open.

"Kristiana!" He shouted in happiness as he ran towards her. He slowed down and pushed the rail of the bed down before carefully hugging her and showered her face with kisses.

"Now that's what I call a good morning," Kristiana smiled as she kissed him back and winced as she placed a hand over her chest. "What happened?"

"Cockerell shot you," Basta growled. "Capricorn would not allow me to kill him, but I was allowed to knock some sense into him."

"He can't shoot for beans. I still don't understand why that man has a gun," she chuckled and winced, "OK, no laughing for me."

Basta paused, "You sound different….Like you're happier."

She smiled, "You know….I am happier; maybe it's because I saw this back on my finger," she smiled as she lifted her hand and wiggled her ring finger around. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too; hey when you were asleep you muttered 'Daniel' and 'Kris' what was that all about?"

"Oh….Nothing, just dreams I guess. So what's been going on while I've been out?"

"Nothing much, Dirty Fingers has been juggling fire each night to try to cheer me up….Well, actually something did happen."

"Oh?" Kristiana raised an eyebrow.

"Ares and Fazio ran away, we've searched high and low for them….It's as if they disappeared into thin air."


	21. The Shadow & Brothers

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters, they all belong to Cornelia Funke. Kristiana belongs to me. The legend in here about the Shadow and Native Americans is loosely based off a Lakota story about one of the Lakota tricksters, Iktomi. If you'd like to read Native American legends, and about Iktomi, there's a link up on my profile to the First Peoples website. :) **_

_**(A/N: Hi everyone, once again thank you so much for all the great reviews, story/author alert adds. :) And I really gotta apologize to you all, this chapter is very short. Work is getting pretty hectic with school just right around the corner. (I'm a tutor.) I'm so sorry that it took this long for me to post this chapter – I swear the next chapter will be longer, and I'll try to post it sooner.)**_

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Kristiana looked towards the village as Basta pulled the car into the parking lot; from what was visible not much had changed. Basta, Flatnose, and Fulvio had come into the hospital earlier that day to get her; the hospital staff had attempted to stop them until they saw Cockerell and his burn crew outside. However, the doctor had given her enough pain pills to last a month, and handed Basta three months worth of gauze and sterile dressing (3M tape, Tegaderm, etc.), along with alcohol swabs. He had ordered her husband to change Kristiana's gauze every two days, and whenever water got past the tape. Now, Kristiana was home and being back at the village seemed odd.

Although she had only been in the hospital for a week, it was a completely different environment. Although busy, the nurses and doctors had stopped in early to see how she was doing; they would talk a little about their day and a few nurses had extended their hands in friendship to Kristiana. She had wanted to make friends with these men and women, however she didn't dare too; she refused to chance their freedom. Kristiana didn't want the nurses being trapped in the village with little or no way of escape. _Escape…freedom._ She swallowed back the thought and shifted in her seat; her old hate of the village had returned. But her love for Basta remained, as it always would.

"Did you see the field?" Basta rasped as he parked the car and pointed out towards the old soccer field. Kristiana looked over and saw a large cage in middle of the field.

"What on Earth is that for?"

"_That_ is where the Shadow's treats are being stored until tonight, when Little Miss Silvertongue reads him out. The old fat lady, Resa, and anyone else who crosses Capricorn shall become food for our old friend." Basta climbed out of the car and walked around to Kristiana's side and opened the door for her.

Kristiana's heart pounded, Elinor had returned to the village? What in Heaven's name had possessed her to do that? _To save her niece…_Kristiana thought to herself. _I'll find a way to get them out of there! I will not allow my friends to become shadow-food!_ As Basta took her hand and helped her to stand, all Kristiana could think about were the Ghost Hunters. What would they think of a man-eating shadow?

"What's this Shadow like?" Kristiana questioned as Flatnose gathered the supplies and pills from the hospital and went to put them into Basta's house.

"He resembles the form of a man, only his body is made of black thunder clouds; he is a creature like no other!" Basta's face boasted of pride. "Capricorn befriended the Shadow 15 years ago, when it attempted to eat it. _If you work with me, I can guarantee you will have food to last you a life time – never will have you to hunt or scrounge for your meals again!_ Now, Capricorn is keeping his promise to the Shadow, while the Shadow keeps its promise to Capricorn – to do whatever he tells it too. Anyone in your world who is not loyal to Capricorn will have a nasty surprise on their doorstep….Quite nasty indeed."

Shivers crawled up and down Kristiana's spine, she had known Capricorn was evil and power hungry; but she didn't think he was this bad! Good Lord, if the Shadow did come into their world it would consume hundreds and thousands of people! When she was halfway down the hill to Basta she suddenly realized that the Shadow could be fought by a group of people – the Native Americans. This world too, in many of the stories, had a Shadow. The most powerful medicine men and women had gathered together and fought the creature with songs, dancing, and prayers. They casted all the light of their souls into the creature's inky black depths until the light pierced through its body and killed it. But Holy Men could be so hard to find now, they often lived in the forests to be close to nature.

_I need to focus on my dream walks and warn Daniel, he can warn the Lakota tribal elder who was a friend with our mom. He must know of a medicine man somewhere. _

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Later that afternoon, Basta was helping Flatnose and the other black jackets assemble a large table on the field. It was a table Capricorn had Mo read out of Inkheart, in fear that Darius would screw the table up as he messed up everything else he ever read out of books.

"Kristiana is a strong woman," Fulvio grunted from behind him as he carefully set his end of the golden table down. "I've never seen a person with a bullet wound to the chest survive before. You've got quite an amazing wife, Basta."

"She's more than amazing, I don't know if there's a word to describe her," Basta replied before he and the others backed away from the completed golden table. All it needed now was the jeweled table cloth, golden chairs with purple velvet cushions, and food. "Kristiana is going to be amazed by the feast and celebration."

"Maybe she'll even dance around the fire?"

"Why would she do that?" Flatnose asked as he picked his nose.

Basta glanced at him in disgust, "Good question."

"She is half Indian," Fulvio shrugged, "In the Peter Pan book, the Indians dance around the fire hooting, singing, and chanting. Isn't that what Indians do?"

"I don't know," Basta shrugged, "I do know Kristiana is very spiritual. The last time we had a thunderstorm she stated the Thunder Beings were angry and they were purifying the Earth from negative and dark energies."

"Huh," Fulvio replied, "That's one Capricorn would love to hear."

"If would could catch one of these Thunder Beings, Capricorn could use it."

"Basta, Capricorn wishes to see you right away!" Shouted a short young black jacket from the other side of the field; Basta nodded and began walking towards the village. Maybe Capricorn was going to give him his keys back? He certainly hoped so, having to give them to Mortola had been humiliating.

When he walked into Capricorn's house and made it to steps, he took a deep bow and was surprised to see Dustfinger standing beside him with his arms crossed. _What the Hell is Dirty Fingers doing here?_

"Basta, you asked me about your family," Capricorn exclaimed, "You have asked that question your entire life."

Basta shifted, ever since Capricorn found him at the age of seven had been asking about his parents. He had no recollection of them, and sometimes he wondered if he was a Changeling, a fairy child switched by the fairies for a human child.

"I have decided since today is a celebration I shall tell you. Basta, your mother was the village whore, as was Dustfinger's."

Basta felt as if he just been slapped, he stared at Dustfinger, so they were both the sons of a prostitute, why was Dirty Fingers here?

"In fact, your mother Basta, was also Dustfinger's mother. You both have different fathers, as I understand it, Basta, your father was one of my men; Dustfinger's father was a Fire Eater. As you can see, this world's expression, 'the apple does not fall far from the tree' is true. You both may leave."

"Yes, Capricorn," he bowed and as he walked out he and Dustfinger stared at one another, both scanning each other's faces and bodies and looking similarities. Sadly, Basta realized there were more similarities between the two of them than he had ever noticed before. Dirty Fingers was his brother….The new knowledge angered him and yet it strangely made sense. They both fallen in love with Roxanne, both had fought for her hand in marriage, and both had similar tastes when it came to food and pranks.

"I don't believe we're related," Basta rasped as he and Dustfinger stepped outside of the church together.

"It's impossible," Dustfinger agreed, "I have all the looks in my family, if I had a brother he'd be rather ugly….Oh, never mind," he gave a mischievous grin; "He _is_ ugly."

Basta growled and grabbed his knife, "Take that back, Fire Eater! Brother or not, I'm still Capricorn's main black jacket and killing you off will be the last of his concerns!"

"Why Basta," Dustfinger smirked as he leaned back onto his heels, "Didn't you know? It's unlucky to kill family! You have 15 years of bad luck!"

"WHAT?" Basta asked, his heart skipping a beat. If he killed Dustfinger he'd have 15 years of bad luck. He snarled at him, "You just be glad that Kristiana cleaned my knife this morning!"

"You let Kristiana handle your knife? Why Basta, I'm shocked! Isn't that the same as letting your wife meet your mistress?" Dustfinger exclaimed with a mock expression of shock, he slapped his hand over his chest.

"Shut up," Basta growled before turning and walking off to find Kristiana. He wanted to show her the field and explain the celebration to her.


	22. The Shadow & Ada Leigh Basta

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters, they belong to Cornelia Funke. I own Kristiana, Ada Leigh Basta, Dutch, and Lucinda.**_

_**(A/N: Hi everyone, thank you all so much for the great reviews, story/author adds, and adding me to your list of favorite authors. I couldn't have completed this story with you all. :) Thank you all so much again! You guys are awesome! :-D) **_

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_As the Shadow gazed around the village it felt very guilty for all the evil deeds it had performed for the man known as Capricorn. Thousands of lives it had taken; for what true reason? He did not know. He had other food sources – energies from lakes, rivers, and oceans. So why steal innocent life? Guilt filled his smoky black heart, the creature had to correct all his wrong doings; he freed all his victims from his solid, liquid, and vapor-like body and turned towards Capricorn. Without another thought, the Shadow descended his massive body onto the village, swallowing Capricorn's men whole. He turned to Capricorn, who was now shouting at him, "You have broken our arrangement, Shadow!"_

_ In response, the Shadow bent at his waist and inhaled a deep breath; with the oxygen from the atmosphere came the glowing light of Capricorn's life energy. The old and colorless man began to swoon until he fell to the ground, wide eyed, and after one last shudder died. The Shadow had his revenge; however, there was still one more person. He turned to Basta and…_

"NO!" Kristiana shouted as she grabbed the printer paper from Fenoglio and held it close to her aching chest. Her bullet wound, now two weeks healed, still hurt badly at times. However, it had not stopped or slowed her down; the black jackets admired her, Basta fell into deeper love with her, and Capricorn seemed to have a pinpoint of respect for the strong woman.

Fenoglio slammed his hand down on the desk as Meggie stared from the bed wide eyed at the scene before her.

"Kristiana, give that back! You have no idea how many times I had to rewrite that to perfection!" The old author pointed to the floor, which was filled with many scrunched up paper balls. "Meggie will be reading that tonight! It is the only way to save us!"

Kristiana shook her head, "There are parts that are fine, but there are other scenes you have to correct. Fulvio cannot die, Leigh loves him and I think she'd give up without him at her side. And the Shadow can't have Basta!"

"Fine, fine, I shall change that part, the Shadow will spare Fulvio. But not Basta, no. Basta is an evil, evil man; he must join his master!"

Kristiana sneered, "Basta is my husband, I love him, and I will not lose him. If you do not change this, then I will."

"Meggie will not read it."

"No, but Darius _will_, he's already agreed to it! I will not lose Basta!"

"Basta has been nothing but cruel to us!" Fenoglio exclaimed.

"You think I don't know that?" Kristiana retorted, "But that paper you're writing on, that was a sign of his kindness. The whole 'I'll write you little notes that will curse Mortola,' he did not fully believe; I told him anything was worth a try. I got the paper and gave it to him to give to you. You owe me for that!"

Fenoglio snorted, "I could have gotten the paper from someone else if Basta had not given it to me. Basta will be eaten by the Shadow that is my final say."

Kristiana stared at the older man before her. Instead of being heartbroken, as she would have been a few weeks before, she was angry. Angry, but not stupid or blind.

"Fine, but I will no longer provide you with any information, including whatever premonitions I may have. I will always continue to help Meggie, _always_. However, you, Fenoglio, are on your own." She turned and walked towards the doorway and heard Fenoglio's stunned silence. He was not used to having people stand up to him.

"Kristiana….Wait."

She bit the corner of her mouth to wipe away the tiny smirk that had just formed. Turning, Kristiana placed her hands on her hips and stared at Fenoglio. "Yes?"

"Fine….I….I shall have the Shadow ignore Basta."

Kristiana paused and handed the author back his papers, "I hope you're true to your word."

Fenoglio stared at her, "I don't like who are you now, Kristiana, I don't like it one bit. You're just as bad as Basta and the others."

Kristiana's shoulders tensed, "That's not true!" She felt as if her heart had just been stabbed; she was a good woman and she worked hard to keep a good heart. Couldn't he see that? She had to fight to keep her husband alive, and so help her she would. _When fighting the war to keep your lover safe, there will always be casualties, _isn't that what Mortola had told her last week? (This had surprised Kristiana; she had never envisioned the Magpie to have a single romantic bone in her body.)

"Kristiana, you are still a good woman," the author exclaimed, "However, when it comes to something you want….You are heartless and cruel. Just ask Meggie."

She glanced over at Meggie, who tensed and gave a tiny nod. Kristiana swallowed as guilt filled her. "I have to be that way to protect what's mine," she exclaimed.

"You could have just asked again." He shrugged, "I would have reconsidered, you did not need to threaten me."

"I never threatened you!"

"You threatened to no longer help me; sometimes, I believe it is merely you who is keeping me alive in this village. Anytime Capricorn tries to be rid of me, you stop him."

Kristiana shook her head, "No, Fenoglio, even if you wrote that the Shadow would kill Basta, I would still help you. You're a good man. I'd hate you afterwards, but I'd remember Basta each and every day of my life."

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"I won't go back there, Dutch! No way in Hell! If you want to go risk your life for a woman who doesn't love you, fine! By all means go be a knight in shining armor, rescue the damsel in constant distress!" Lucinda exclaimed as she sat in Dutch's hotel room and crossed her arms. When she ran out of the woods and into the village, she had been shocked to find Dutch speaking to several FBI agents. Lucinda was certain Dutch would have returned to America after being rejected by Kristiana, the ungrateful witch that she was.

Dutch shook his head, "She's an American citizen, who was abducted against her will. She only thinks she loves Basta, she doesn't. She's brainwashed, Lucinda, completely and utterly brainwashed. The woman would take a gun to her head if Basta commanded her too!" He slipped his gun into its holster.

"So did you ever return to America?" Lucinda questioned, wanting to get off the subject of Kristiana.

"Yes. I did, and two weeks ago, I returned to Italy with _my_ men. The director re-hired me and gave me a promotion, seems someone hasn't been doing her job."

"Oh, don't you dare go there, mister!" Lucinda sneered, "I put my job and my _life_ on the line to help you save that dim-bulb girlfriend of yours. Capricorn's men almost killed me!"

"They also killed me too," Dutch reminded her, "Now, are you going to help us or are you going to sit there pouting? You should be grateful that I returned to Italy when I did! Or you could have died; that forest was huge and you kept making all the wrong twists and turns. If you had kept on a straight path, you would have been in a large village only a day's walk away from Capricorn's village."

"Do you have to keep reminding me of that?"

"Until you get it through that thick skull of yours, yes." Dutch smirked as he walked past and ruffled her hair, as if she were a child.

"I hate you."

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Kristiana pushed the maids out of Meggie's room, Mortola snarled at her.

"You're duties are not to Silvertongue's daughter, they are to Basta!"

"I know," Kristiana replied calmly, "However, Capricorn asked me to dress Meggie and to make her look beautiful. I intend to do that. I have his full trust and I ask that I have yours as well?"

"Capricorn would never order you to dress Silvertongue's daughter, never!"

"He did, or shall we go to see him now and ask? He's rather busy getting the sacrifices to the Shadow ready, and his men are making a horrible side show of placing his chair up on the stage. But if you want to disturb him, then by all means….Be my guest, let us go and speak with him."

Mortola stared at Kristiana as if she were the Hydra itself. The old woman jutted out her sharp chin with a scowl, "Fine. But if there is one hair on that child's head that is astray from whatever hairstyle you give her, or if there is a wrinkle in her dress, you will join the others in the cage!"

"Fine, fine," Kristiana replied as she shut the bedroom door and waited until she heard Mortola and her army of maids walk away. She sighed in relief and turned to Meggie, who was pale and looked terrified. "Meggie, sweetie, are you ok?"

"I'm alright….I'm scared, I memorized what Fenoglio asked me too….But what if I mess up?"

Kristiana draped the dress onto the bottom bunk bed and helped Meggie pull the shirt off over her head. "If you worry about messing up, then you will. You'll do a great job, Meggie; I have faith in you – as does Fenoglio, your mother, Elinor, Dustfinger, and your father." She helped Meggie wiggle into a plain white tank top and put the dress on over her head. The gown Capricorn had provided was disgusting; the bodice was a little too baggy, the skirt slightly too long, and the collar was made to stand. Overall, the dress resembled Snow White's evil step-mother's dress, only it was white.

"If I'm one syllable off…."

Kristiana knelt down on the ground and took hold of Meggie's hands, "Meggie, look at me….I know how terrifying this is." When Meggie looked ready to argue Kristiana continued, "A few months ago I was in a situation close to yours, only I knew no one here."

"Really?"

Kristiana nodded; while she was telling Mo and Elinor had she had arrived at the village, Meggie had dozed off.

"Have you ever visited the Laffite bank?"

Meggie nodded.

"I used to work in one of the branches of that bank; I'm from America, I lived in a state called Georgia. I came to Italy and stayed for two years so my friends wouldn't have to come over, because their terrified of flying. On the day I was to return to America, Cockerell and Flatnose came into the bank. Cockerell came in and talked to me about opening an account, and I had a bad feeling about him, but I ignored it. Then, I was returning to the bank after my lunch break a few hours later, and I noticed Cockerell and Flatnose were following me."

"What did you do?"

"I ran into a comic book shop and I begged the cashier for help. He did nothing, but allow me to hold still while Cockerell and Flatnose caught up to me. I ran into the middle of the store, broke Superman's head off and used the neck and body almost like a knife. However, after a struggle, I was knocked out. When I woke up, Meggie, I woke up in the same cage you, Elinor, and your father were in the night you and her arrived. A group of women came into the cage and they dressed in a wedding dress, and explained I would be marrying whoever won me in a competition."

"That's horrible!" Meggie gasped.

Kristiana nodded as she stood and carefully brushed Meggie's hair out. "It was terrifying, the entire time I was blindfolded and unable to see anything. My wrists and ankles were shackled to a chair, so I could walk around a little, but not very far."

"What did you do?"

"I listened, and prayed that whoever got me wouldn't be too bad. When I heard all the fighting stop, Capricorn announced Basta had won, at the time I had no idea who that was. Suddenly, Capricorn took off the blindfold, and Basta lifted the veil. After that, I knew everything would change, but I had no idea how much. I had to be brave, Meggie, and I still have to be brave. There are times when I want to curl up in a corner and cry and scream. But I can't, and you can't either, and I know how terrifying this will be….But I also know you're a courageous young woman with the heart of a dragon. You're brave, intelligent, honorable, loving, and once you get your mind set on something, you'll pull through with it. That's how I know everything will be alright."

As Kristiana finished Meggie's hair (which was now in a braided bun), she led her out the door and gave her a hug; Mortola and the others then led her out of Capricorn's home. During the next two hours, events seem to fly past her quickly: Cockerell and Basta both stood beside Capricorn (Cockerell to the left, Basta to the right) and at one point Fenoglio stole Capricorn's golden pin that was shaped like his birth sign. This resulted in a comical chase around the chair; and then, suddenly the Shadow appeared in the sky.

Kristiana swallowed in horror and glanced at Meggie and then back to Capricorn. To her surprise, Flatnose was whispering to him, and the giant was filled with soot and ashes! Turning, Kristiana was shocked to find the village on fire! She had known Mo was alright; but she had wondered if Dustfinger would ever help him again since he now knew Basta was his brother. From the fire, Kristiana guessed Dustfinger had no problem helping to set the village ablaze with a strong and hungry fire.

When she looked back, most of the black jackets' bodies were filled with glowing words, whispers echoed around the village. The men began to disappear as Capricorn fell to his knees on the stage, his eyes beginning to glaze over. Kristiana could hear Mortola's screams; she cursed at the Shadow, then at Meggie.

"You little witch! Take all the words you said back! Reverse whatever you have done!" The Magpie shouted as she reached for Meggie with her gnarled hands that reminded Kristiana of tree branches. She never got close to grabbing the girl, a moment later Mo appeared and pulled his daughter close to him.

"_FBI! FREEZE!_ Put all weapons down on the ground, get down to your knees and place your hands to the back of your heads!"

Kristiana jumped at the familiar voice, she turned and found herself face to face with Dutch. His face was stony and his eyes narrowed, behind him stood Lucinda. Kristiana, Mo, and Meggie all fell to their knees. Mortola screamed and cursed at the group as Capricorn gave one last shudder, a sigh, and his eyes became dull and lifeless.

Overhead, the Shadow began to dissipate into thunderclouds and rain poured upon the village, helping to put out the fire. Kristiana glanced over both her shoulders; she couldn't find Basta, Fenoglio, or Fulvio anywhere….

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_5 Months Later_

_Athens, Georgia…_

Kristiana sat in the wicker rocking chair on Dutch's front porch with an absent look on her face and a frown. Five months ago Fulvio, Leigh, and Fenoglio had disappeared into _Inkheart_. Mortola had been in the FBI's custody for little more than half an hour until she escaped and Basta was nowhere to be found. Kristiana had lost her voice as she shouted Basta's name for hours on end, until Dutch picked her up into his arms and carried her towards his car.

"No, baby, Basta's gone. He's never coming back; things will be back to the way before, I promise." He whispered as he kissed her forehead.

"He'll come back for me," was all Kristiana had whispered. During the first three months home in Georgia, she had cried until there were no tears left to be shed. Daniel had visited her on numerous occasions; each time he came he attempted to coax her into taking the locket around her neck off. Each time she refused; her locket kept Basta's promise to her. He had sworn that no matter where she went, he'd find her.

"Kristiana," Dutch sighed as came out of his kitchen. "It's been five months….We've reached our agreement. At the end of a five month wait, you'd go to therapy. You're going to have your child any day now, and you can't give that baby the love he or she needs and deserves if you're focused on a man who no longer exists."

"He exists," Kristiana retorted, refusing to look at him. "Why didn't you want to go back into your story? Dustfinger went back to his and he was happy."

Dutch paused, "Because that's not what I want anymore. There are so many legends about me out there, and in my world I had a brother named Archer. Together, he and Gisborne will become the new Robin Hood. I want to be with you…Please, Kristiana…." He knelt down in front of her and kissed her forehead. "Please….Try to let go of Basta now, be my wife….I love you, and I have never stopped loving you. I never gave up on you."

Kristiana stared at him, "You say that, but you don't mean it. Just like if I said, yes I'll be yours, I'd be lying as well. You love Lucinda, which is the way it's supposed to be. You two were meant for each other since the very beginning. I have a feeling that somehow, Lucinda is more than just who you say she is."

Dutch paused, "How long have you known?"

"I guessed it after Basta told me the story of how Darius read out a woman with raven black hair. She was a beautiful creature, but escaped and was never seen or heard from again. Basta, like all the others, assumed she was dead. But you taught her all the tricks you knew, and she went to America and became FBI Agent Lucinda. It wasn't until Basta told me that story a week before the village was destroyed that I put two and two together; Lucinda is Marian. Everything you want from your world is right here, in our world."

Dutch nodded, "Yeah….Yeah it is….But that doesn't change the fact that I still love you."

"As a friend," Kristiana replied. Suddenly an image flashed in the back of her mind and for the first time in months, the light returned to her eyes and her cheeks became rosy.

"Kristiana? What is it? I know that look, it's the same expression your brother gives when he's had a premonition."

Kristiana beamed, "It's Basta, he's here!" She grabbed the side of the chair with her right hand, and braced her back with her left and slowly stood.

"We need to get you inside," Dutch reached for her arm, but Kristiana pulled away.

"No, Dutch. If Lucinda were being held away from you, what would you do? Honestly? What would you do?"

Dutch paused, "I'd shoot the person holding her captive, then I'd find her, pull her into my arms, and kiss her. I'd make sure she knew she was safe and that I'd never let her out of my sight again. I'd tell her how much I love her," he muttered, his cheeks glowing bright red.

"That's what Basta wants to do, please Dutch….Just let me go. You and I….We weren't meant to work out, face it," she smirked.

"And back is the Kris I knew….Only she's not my Kris, now she belongs to another man…" he muttered.

Kristiana smiled, "I know how hard that was for you to admit….But face it, when you and I were dating….Did it feel right to you? Like it was meant to be?"

Dutch glanced at her, "Haven't I suffered enough?" At one last pleading expression from her, he sighed and nodded. "Yeah…It never did feel quite right….When I was with Lucinda everything felt right."

"Then go back to Marian, that woman loves you….She's been waiting for you, while you've been waiting for the wrong woman!"

"I will," Dutch swore as he stood and turned at hearing footsteps on his front porch. He turned and was greeted by a snarling Basta.

"Basta!" Kristiana exclaimed her voice was filled with happiness and love.

Beaming, Basta hugged her and kissed her. He softly muttered to her and Dutch already knew what he was saying….It was the same words he'd be saying to Lucinda in a few minutes (after getting down on both knees and begging for her forgiveness). Dutch turned away as the couple kissed, and when he looked back he was greeted by an empty porch.

"Kristiana?" He questioned wide eyed. He darted out of his porch and onto the sidewalk, but there was no trace of the couple.

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_Epilogue_

_One Month Later_

Lucinda ran into she and Dutch's house wide eyed, a letter in hand, "Dutch!"

He turned, "What is it? Did you finally win the lottery?"

"No," Lucinda scowled before she wrapped her arms around her fiancé, "But I did get a letter from a Mr. and Mrs. Basta….No return address though."

"A letter?" Dutch asked wide eyed, "Let me see it!" He began to pull away, but her embrace around his neck only tightened.

"Nah-ah, Robin Hood," she whispered with a smile, "You have to pay the toll….Unless you want me to find Meggie and ask her to read Little John out of the book."

Dutch rolled his eyes, "I know all of John's tricks. This time I would beat him if we sparred."

"Uh-huh, so you say," Marian whispered with a smile, "So….Are you going to pay the toll, or shall we invite Little John to our world?"

"For him to call it witchcraft? I think not," he smirked as he leaned down and kissed the love of his life, his one and only true love. Kristiana had been right when she said Lucinda was Marian, and that no matter what happened the two were meant to be. Dutch didn't want to admit it, but he hadn't caught on that Lucinda was truly Marian until they were at Capricorn's village. The way the fire placed the shadows against her face made him realize his one true love had been with him all the time. When he had brought Kristiana home, he had secretly hoped Basta would show up. However, another half of him always felt guilty for wishing this.

As the two pulled away from their kiss, Lucinda handed him the letter and he opened it. There was no letter, just a photograph. He held it up and smiled; Kristiana was sitting in a wooden rocking chair with a newborn baby wrapped in a pink blanket in her arms. Beside the rocking chair stood a very proud father, Basta had a huge grin on his face, his dark brown eyes sparkling. He turned the photograph over, "Ada Leigh Basta," he said read with a smile.

"That will be us one day," Lucinda said as she wrapped her arms around him again.

"Yes, it will be and soon," Dutch agreed.


End file.
